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Anti-EF-Tu IgG titers increase with age and may contribute to protection against the respiratory pathogen Haemophilus influenzae

Thofte, Oskar LU orcid ; Kaur, Ravinder ; Su, Yu Ching LU ; Brant, Marta LU ; Rudin, Anna ; Hood, Derek and Riesbeck, Kristian LU orcid (2019) In European Journal of Immunology 49(3). p.490-499
Abstract

Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a pathogen that commonly colonizes the nasopharynx of preschool children, causing opportunistic infections including acute otitis media (AOM). Patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are persistently colonized with NTHi and occasionally suffer from exacerbations by the bacterium leading to increased morbidity. Elongation-factor thermo unstable (EF-Tu), a protein critical for bacterial protein synthesis, has been found to moonlight on the surface of several bacteria. Here, we show that antibodies against NTHi EF-Tu were present in children already at 18 months of age, and that the IgG antibody titers increased with age. Children harboring NTHi in the nasopharynx... (More)

Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a pathogen that commonly colonizes the nasopharynx of preschool children, causing opportunistic infections including acute otitis media (AOM). Patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are persistently colonized with NTHi and occasionally suffer from exacerbations by the bacterium leading to increased morbidity. Elongation-factor thermo unstable (EF-Tu), a protein critical for bacterial protein synthesis, has been found to moonlight on the surface of several bacteria. Here, we show that antibodies against NTHi EF-Tu were present in children already at 18 months of age, and that the IgG antibody titers increased with age. Children harboring NTHi in the nasopharynx also displayed significantly higher IgG concentrations. Interestingly, children suffering from AOM had significantly higher anti-EF-Tu IgG levels when NTHi was the causative agent. Human sera recognized mainly the central and C-terminal part of the EF-Tu molecule and peptide-based epitope mapping confirmed similar binding patterns for sera from humans and immunized mice. Immunization of BALB/c and otitis-prone Junbo (C3H/HeH) mice promoted lower infection rates in the nasopharynx and middle ear, respectively. In conclusion, our results suggest that IgG directed against NTHi EF-Tu may play an important role in the host immune response against NTHi.

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author
; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Bacterial infections, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Epitope mapping, Mucosal immunity, Surface antigen
in
European Journal of Immunology
volume
49
issue
3
pages
490 - 499
publisher
John Wiley & Sons Inc.
external identifiers
  • pmid:30566236
  • scopus:85059507744
ISSN
0014-2980
DOI
10.1002/eji.201847871
project
The emerging pathogen Haemophilus influenzae - host/ cell interactions
The emerging pathogen Haemophilus influenzae – host/ cell interactions
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
422a0770-add0-4e2f-8181-e343d6293099
date added to LUP
2019-01-22 09:58:25
date last changed
2024-05-14 00:19:55
@article{422a0770-add0-4e2f-8181-e343d6293099,
  abstract     = {{<p>Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a pathogen that commonly colonizes the nasopharynx of preschool children, causing opportunistic infections including acute otitis media (AOM). Patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are persistently colonized with NTHi and occasionally suffer from exacerbations by the bacterium leading to increased morbidity. Elongation-factor thermo unstable (EF-Tu), a protein critical for bacterial protein synthesis, has been found to moonlight on the surface of several bacteria. Here, we show that antibodies against NTHi EF-Tu were present in children already at 18 months of age, and that the IgG antibody titers increased with age. Children harboring NTHi in the nasopharynx also displayed significantly higher IgG concentrations. Interestingly, children suffering from AOM had significantly higher anti-EF-Tu IgG levels when NTHi was the causative agent. Human sera recognized mainly the central and C-terminal part of the EF-Tu molecule and peptide-based epitope mapping confirmed similar binding patterns for sera from humans and immunized mice. Immunization of BALB/c and otitis-prone Junbo (C3H/HeH) mice promoted lower infection rates in the nasopharynx and middle ear, respectively. In conclusion, our results suggest that IgG directed against NTHi EF-Tu may play an important role in the host immune response against NTHi.</p>}},
  author       = {{Thofte, Oskar and Kaur, Ravinder and Su, Yu Ching and Brant, Marta and Rudin, Anna and Hood, Derek and Riesbeck, Kristian}},
  issn         = {{0014-2980}},
  keywords     = {{Bacterial infections; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Epitope mapping; Mucosal immunity; Surface antigen}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{3}},
  pages        = {{490--499}},
  publisher    = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
  series       = {{European Journal of Immunology}},
  title        = {{Anti-EF-Tu IgG titers increase with age and may contribute to protection against the respiratory pathogen Haemophilus influenzae}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eji.201847871}},
  doi          = {{10.1002/eji.201847871}},
  volume       = {{49}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}