Specificity of immunoglobulin M antibodies in normal human serum that participate in opsonophagocytosis and intracellular killing of Bacteroides fragilis and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron by by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes.

Studies were performed to determine the specificity of immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies in normal human serum that participate in opsonophagocytosis and intracellular killing of Bacteroides fragilis 1365 and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron 1343 by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. Purified normal human IgM was adsorbed with washed heat-killed cells of the homologous strains and heterologous strains of B. fragilis, B. thetaiotaomicron, Bacteroides vulgatus, Bacteroides distasonis, and Bacteroides asaccharolyticus and with erythrocytes coated with outer membrane complex prepared from the homologous strains. Hypogammaglobulinemic serum was supplemented with the adsorbed IgM preparations, and the ability of the supplemented sera to support opsonophagocytosis and killing of B. fragilis 1365 and B. thetaiotaomicron 1343 by human polymorphonuclear leukocytes was measured in vitro under anaerobic conditions. Normal IgM adsorbed with heat-killed cells of B. fragilis 1365 and B. thetaiotaomicron 1343 or with erythrocytes coated with outer membrane complex prepared from these strains failed to restore the ability of hypogammaglobulinemic serum to support opsonophagocytosis and intracellular killing of the homologous strain. In contrast, adsorption of normal IgM with heat-killed cells of the heterologous strains did not alter its opsonophagocytosis-promoting activity for either test strain. These results indicated that the IgM antibodies in normal human serum that participate in opsonophagocytosis and intracellular killing of B. fragilis 1365 and B. thetaiotaomicron 1343 are directed against strain-specific antigenic determinants contained in the outer membrane complex.