Association of bacterial carbohydrate-specific cold agglutinin antibody production with immunization by group C, group B type III, and Streptococcus pneumoniae type XIV streptococcal vaccines.

Rabbits immunized with group B type III, group C, and Streptococcus pneumoniae type XIV streptococcal vaccines developed autoantibodies reactive with autologous and isologous erythrocytes and human O-positive erythrocytes at reduced temperatures. The cold agglutinin antibodies were present in both the immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG fractions of group C streptococcal antiserum and in the IgM fraction of group B type III and S. pneumoniae type XIV antisera. BALB/c, CF1, and local strains of mice immunized with group B type III and S. pneumoniae type XIV streptococcal vaccines also produced a cold agglutinin antibody reactive with rabbit and human erythrocytes. The cold agglutinin antibodies were reactive with saccharide compounds representative of the determinants present on the individual bacterial carbohydrate structures, individual vaccine preparations, and isolated polysaccharides. The group C antibodies in rabbits were reactive with sugar ligands in the following order: N-acetylgalactosamine greater than melibiose greater than lactose greater than galactose greater than glucose. Group B type III and S. pneumoniae type XIV cold agglutinin antibodies in rabbit antisera, however, displayed reactivities different from group C antibodies and from each other. Group B type III antibodies reacted with galactose greater than lactose greater than N-acetylgalactosamine greater than glucose greater than rhamnose; S. pneumoniae type XIV antibodies reacted with lactose greater than melibiose greater than galactose greater than glucose greater than N-acetylgalactosamine. The same relative ligand specificity was observed for the cold agglutinin antibodies in S. pneumoniae type XIV mouse antisera. The cold agglutinin antibodies in group B type III and S. pneumoniae type XIV antiserum reacted with erythrocytes at higher temperatures (up to 31 degrees C) than did group C antibodies (up to 14 degrees C). In addition, S. pneumoniae type XIV antibodies did not discriminate between I- or i-bearing human erythrocytes to a significant extent. The results obtained provide substantial evidence that autoreactive cold agglutinin antibodies produced by immunization with these vaccines represent subpopulations of bacterial carbohydrate-specific antibodies that cross-react with mammalian carbohydrate structures.