[Demonstration of a species specific determinant of Bacteroides fragilis lipopolysaccharides using monoclonal antibodies].

The reactivity of two monoclonal antibodies to Bacteroides fragilis was tested (ELISA) with 37 strains of B. fragilis, 1 strain each of B. thetaiotaomicron, B. ovatus, B. vulgatus and B. eggerthii, 1 strain of Fusobacterium, as well as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (6 strains), E coli (8 strains), Klebsiella (2 strains), Yersinia enterocolitica (1 strain) and LPS from Salmonella minnesota. Both monoclonal antibodies proved to be specific for B. fragilis. The determinants recognized by these antibodies are localized in the LPS of this gram-negative anaerobe.