Preparation, characterization, and immunological properties in mice of Escherichia coli O157 O-specific polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines.

Escherichia coli O157 causes severe enteritis and the extraintestinal complication of hemolytic-uremic syndrome, with their highest incidence occurring in children. We postulated that serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to the O-specific polysaccharide of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) may confer protective immunity to enteric pathogens by inducing bactericidal reactions against the ingested organisms in the jejunum (J. B. Robbins, C. Chu, and R. Schneerson, Clin. Infect. Dis. 15:346-361, 1992; S. C. Szu, R. Gupta, and J. B. Robbins, p. 381-394, in I. K. Wachsmuth, P. A. Blake, and O. Olsvik, ed., Vibrio cholerae, 1994). Because polysaccharide-protein conjugates induce serum IgG antibodies in infants, we bound the O-specific polysaccharide of E. coli O157 to proteins. E. coli O157 LPS, treated with acetic acid or hydrazine, was derivatized with adipic acid dihydrazide and bound to proteins by carbodiimide-mediated condensation. Conjugates of these adipic hydrazide derivative were prepared with bovine serum albumin, formalin-treated exotoxin C of Clostridium welchii (Pig Bel toxoid), or Pseudomonas aeruginosa recombinant exoprotein A. The conjugates had low levels of endotoxin and elicited serum antibodies with bactericidal activity to the O157 LPS. The largest increase in LPS antibodies was of the IgG class. Clinical evaluation of E. coli O157-toxoid conjugates is planned.