Girardi Petra, Bhuiyan Taufiqur Rahman, Lundin Samuel B, Harutyunyan Shushan, Neuhauser Irene, Khanam Farhana, Nagy Gábor, Szijártó Valéria, Henics Tamás, Nagy Eszter, Harandi Ali M, Qadri Firdausi
Eveliqure Biotechnologies GmbH, Karl-Farkas-Gasse 22, 1030 Vienna, Austria.
Infectious Diseases Division, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), 68 Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Sarani, Mohakhali, Dhaka 1212, Bangladesh.
Microorganisms. 2023 Oct 9;11(10):2524. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11102524.
A sero-epidemiology study was conducted in Dhaka, Bangladesh between January 2020 and February 2021 to assess the immune responses to ETEC infection in adults and children. (1) Background: Enterotoxigenic infection is a main cause of diarrheal disease in endemic countries. The characterization of the immune responses evoked by natural infection can guide vaccine development efforts. (2) Methods: A total of 617 adult and 480 pediatric diarrheal patients were screened, and 43 adults and 46 children (below 5 years of age) with an acute ETEC infection completed the study. The plasma samples were analyzed for antibody responses against the ETEC toxins. (3) Results: Heat-stable toxin (ST)-positive ETEC is the main cause of ETEC infection in adults, unlike in children in an endemic setting. We detected very low levels of anti-ST antibodies, and no ST-neutralizing activity. However, infection with ETEC strains expressing the heat-labile toxin (LT) induced systemic antibody responses in less than 25% of subjects. The antibody levels against LTA and LTB, as well as cholera toxin (CT), correlated well. The anti-LT antibodies were shown to have LT- and CT- neutralizing activity. The antibody reactivity against linear LT epitopes did not correlate with toxin-neutralizing activity. (4) Conclusions: Unlike LT, ST is a poor antigen and even adults have low anti-ST antibody levels that do not allow for the detection of toxin-neutralizing activity.
2020年1月至2021年2月期间，在孟加拉国达卡进行了一项血清流行病学研究，以评估成人和儿童对产肠毒素大肠杆菌（ETEC）感染的免疫反应。（1）背景：在流行国家，产肠毒素感染是腹泻病的主要原因。自然感染引发的免疫反应特征可指导疫苗研发工作。（2）方法：共筛查了617名成人腹泻患者和480名儿童腹泻患者，43名成人和46名5岁以下儿童确诊为急性ETEC感染并完成研究。对血浆样本进行分析，检测针对ETEC毒素的抗体反应。（3）结果：与流行地区儿童不同，耐热毒素（ST）阳性ETEC是成人ETEC感染的主要原因。我们检测到抗ST抗体水平极低，且无ST中和活性。然而，感染表达不耐热毒素（LT）的ETEC菌株的受试者中，不到25%出现全身抗体反应。针对LTA和LTB以及霍乱毒素（CT）的抗体水平相关性良好。抗LT抗体具有LT中和活性和CT中和活性。针对线性LT表位的抗体反应性与毒素中和活性无关。（4）结论：与LT不同，ST是一种弱抗原，即使是成人，其抗ST抗体水平也很低，无法检测到毒素中和活性。
