Antibody Binding and Complement-Mediated Killing of Invasive Haemophilus influenzae Isolates from Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands [Molecular Pathogenesis]

In this study, we determined the relationship between binding of IgG or IgM and the bacterial survival in normal human serum for 267 invasive H. influenzae strains from Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands, of which the majority (200 [75%]) were NTHi. NTHi bacteria opsonized with high levels of IgM had the lowest survival in human serum. IgM binding to the bacterial surface, but not IgG binding, was shown to be associated with complement-mediated killing of NTHi strains. We conclude that evasion of IgM binding by NTHi strains increases survival in blood, thereby potentially contributing to their ability to cause severe invasive diseases.

Source: Infection and Immunity - September 17, 2020 Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Dudukina, E., de Smit, L., Verhagen, G. J. A., van de Ende, A., Marimon, J. M., Bajanca-Lavado, P., Ardanuy, C., Marti, S., de Jonge, M. I., Langereis, J. D. Tags: Molecular Pathogenesis Source Type: research