Immune-protective antibodies against capsular polysaccharides do not affect natural competence of Streptococcus pneumoniae: implications for current conjugate vaccination strategies?

We studied the effect of opsonization of Streptococcus pneumoniae with capsular antibodies on horizontal transfer of DNA. Opsonization did not inhibit DNA uptake. This suggests that horizontal transfer of capsular genes, which is an important escape mechanism of the pathogen, remains a potential thr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:FEMS immunology and medical microbiology 2000-11, Vol.29 (3), p.183-185
Main Authors: Overweg, K, Sluijter, M, Srodzinski, M, de Groot, R, Hermans, P.W.M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Antipolysaccharide antibody
Bacterial Capsules - immunology
Competence
Fluorescent Antibody Technique
Gene Transfer, Horizontal
Opsonin Proteins - immunology
Opsonization
Polysaccharides, Bacterial - immunology
Rabbits
Streptococcus pneumoniae
Streptococcus pneumoniae - genetics
Streptococcus pneumoniae - immunology
Transformation, Genetic
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Summary:We studied the effect of opsonization of Streptococcus pneumoniae with capsular antibodies on horizontal transfer of DNA. Opsonization did not inhibit DNA uptake. This suggests that horizontal transfer of capsular genes, which is an important escape mechanism of the pathogen, remains a potential threat for the efficacy of conjugate vaccination.
ISSN:0928-8244
1574-695X
DOI:10.1016/S0928-8244(00)00203-0