Hordnes K, Tynning T, Kvam A I, Bevanger L, Brown T A, Jonsson R, Haneberg B
Broegelmann Research Laboratory and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
Scand J Immunol. 1998 Feb;47(2):179-88. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-3083.1998.00283.x.
Group B streptococci (GBS) colonizing the female genital tract will often infect newborn infants during delivery. In 200 pregnant women studied, 14% were colonized with GBS in the cervix, 12% in the rectum, and 9% in both cervix and rectum. We have previously reported that antibody levels to GBS serotypes Ia, II, and III in sera and cervical secretions were increased in women colonized in the rectum and/or cervix, when analyzed by a whole-cell ELISA. Here, we report the levels of antibodies to GBS serotype III capsular polysaccharide antigen (CPS III) and to protein antigen R4, which are present in most GBS III strains. Compared to culture-negative women, the group of women colonized rectally had markedly elevated levels of immunoglobulin (Ig)A and IgG antibodies in cervical secretions to both CPS III and protein R4 (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively). In sera, the corresponding differences between culture-negative and culture-positive women were less pronounced, or not present. In contrast to antibody levels to whole-cell GBS, antibody levels to CPS III and protein R4 in cervical secretions were not significantly increased in women colonized only in the cervix, except that IgA antibodies to protein R4 were slightly elevated (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that capsular type-specific polysaccharides and protein R4 in a mucosal vaccine might induce protective antibodies against GBS colonization of the uterine cervix.
定植于女性生殖道的B族链球菌（GBS）常在分娩期间感染新生儿。在对200名孕妇的研究中，14%的孕妇宫颈中有GBS定植，12%的孕妇直肠中有GBS定植，9%的孕妇宫颈和直肠中均有GBS定植。我们之前曾报道，通过全细胞酶联免疫吸附测定（ELISA）分析发现，直肠和/或宫颈中有GBS定植的女性血清及宫颈分泌物中针对GBS Ia、II和III型的抗体水平升高。在此，我们报告了针对GBS III型荚膜多糖抗原（CPS III）和蛋白抗原R4的抗体水平，大多数GBS III菌株中都存在这两种抗原。与培养阴性的女性相比，直肠中有GBS定植的女性组宫颈分泌物中针对CPS III和蛋白R4的免疫球蛋白（Ig）A和IgG抗体水平显著升高（分别为P < 0.01和P < 0.001）。在血清中，培养阴性和培养阳性女性之间的相应差异不那么明显，或者不存在。与针对全细胞GBS的抗体水平不同，仅宫颈中有GBS定植的女性宫颈分泌物中针对CPS III和蛋白R4的抗体水平没有显著升高，不过针对蛋白R4的IgA抗体略有升高（P < 0.05）。这些发现表明，黏膜疫苗中的荚膜型特异性多糖和蛋白R4可能诱导产生针对子宫颈GBS定植的保护性抗体。
