Outer membrane proteins of nontypable Haemophilus influenzae and reactivity of paired sera from infected patients with their homologous isolates.

Normal human serum and acute or convalescent serum from patients infected with nontypable Haemophilus influenzae were tested for reactivity with electroblotted outer membrane proteins obtained from the homologous nontypable H. influenzae isolates. Of 12 patients, 8 had immunoglobulin G antibodies to outer membrane proteins from their own infecting nontypable H. influenzae isolates that were not present in normal human serum. Three patients had immunoglobulin antibody in convalescent serum that had been absent in acute serum, but no consistent outer membrane protein was involved in the sets of patient sera with outer membrane proteins examined.