Antibodies to cell envelope proteins of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis patients.

Many vaccines containing somatic and secreted antigens of Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been reported. The vaccines containing lipopolysaccharide have been found to provide type-specific protection, but the endotoxin content of these vaccines does not make it feasible to use them in patients who are already debilitated. Outer membrane proteins could be effective as vaccines, as they can be purified free of lipopolysaccharide, and also because they are common to all serotypes of P. aeruginosa. To be effective as a vaccine, such proteins must be immunogenic and accessible from the outside of the intact bacterial cell. In this study, we showed that systemic antibodies were produced frequently to two cell envelope proteins with masses of 58,500 and 37,500 daltons and occasionally to 34,000-dalton protein of P. aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis patients with chronic lung infections. In rabbits immunized with whole, fixed cells of P. aeruginosa, antibodies were also produced against the 58,500-dalton proteins. Thus, the 58,500-dalton cell envelope protein of P. aeruginosa was the only immunogenic protein that was accessible to the immune system when whole, fixed cells were used for immunization. These serum antibodies did not protect the cystic fibrosis patients against further lung infection with P. aeruginosa.