Detection of serum antibodies against phosphocholine-containing aminoglycoglycerolipid specific to Mycoplasma fermentans in HIV-1 infected individuals.

Mycoplasma fermentans has been associated with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The lipids extracted from five strains of M. fermentans and eight other species of mycoplasmas were investigated. By using high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) and immunostaining on HPTLC-plates with polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies against lipids of M. fermentans, a glycophospholipid GGPL-III was proved to be a specific lipid and important antigen of the species of M. fermentans. Previously we reported that M. fermentans had phosphocholine-containing glycoglycerolipid (GGPL-I and GGPL-III). TLC immunostaining showed that anti-GGPL-III specific antibodies were detected in HIV-1 infected individuals. By employing purified GGPL-III, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed for the detection of specific antibodies to GGPL-III in human serum. This ELISA showed high sensitivity, specificity and good reproducibility. Frequency of antibodies to GGPL-III was significantly higher in sera from HIV-1 infected people (44.6%, 29/65) than from HIV-1 negative healthy donors (1.7%, 2/117) or patients with three kinds of other diseases we investigated (0-8.7%, 0/20-2/23). Thus M. fermentans infection seemed to be correlated with HIV-1 infection although further investigation is essential for clarification of the role of M. fermentans during the long latency period in HIV infected individuals.