Takai S, Koike K, Ohbushi S, Izumi C, Tsubaki S
Department of Animal Hygiene, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Kitasato University, Aomori, Japan.
J Clin Microbiol. 1991 Mar;29(3):439-43. doi: 10.1128/jcm.29.3.439-443.1991.
Antigens of Rhodococcus equi were analyzed by immunoblotting with naturally infected foal sera. Immunoblots of whole-cell antigen preparations of clinical isolates of R. equi revealed that major protein bands with molecular masses of 15 to 17 kDa were present in all clinical isolates tested and all isolates virulent for mice. In contrast, the 15- to 17-kDa antigens were not identified by immunoblotting in ATCC 6939, a type strain of R. equi that was avirulent for mice. Whole-cell antigens of 102 environmental isolates were investigated by immunoblotting and the mouse pathogenicity test. Twenty-five of these isolates were demonstrated to contain the 15- to 17-kDa antigens by immunoblotting and were virulent for mice. The remaining 77 environmental isolates lacked the 15- to 17-kDa antigens and were avirulent for mice. These data suggest that the diffuse 15- to 17-kDa proteins are virulence-associated antigens with immunogenicity in foals and that they may be useful in marking virulent R. equi contamination in the environment of a horse-breeding farm.
用自然感染马驹的血清通过免疫印迹法分析马红球菌的抗原。马红球菌临床分离株全细胞抗原制剂的免疫印迹显示，在所有测试的临床分离株和所有对小鼠有致病性的分离株中均存在分子量为15至17 kDa的主要蛋白条带。相比之下，在对小鼠无致病性的马红球菌模式菌株ATCC 6939中，通过免疫印迹未鉴定出15至17 kDa的抗原。通过免疫印迹和小鼠致病性试验研究了102株环境分离株的全细胞抗原。其中25株分离株通过免疫印迹显示含有15至17 kDa的抗原，并且对小鼠有致病性。其余77株环境分离株缺乏15至17 kDa的抗原，对小鼠无致病性。这些数据表明，弥散的15至17 kDa蛋白是与毒力相关的抗原，在马驹中具有免疫原性，并且它们可能有助于标记养马场环境中有毒力的马红球菌污染。
