Development of Vaccines to Prevent Wound Infections due to Anaerobic Bacteria.
Abstract
To determine the role of Bacteroides fragilis in the development of infectious complications following hysterectomy, we have measured serum antibody to the capsular polysaccharide with a radioactive antigen-binding assay in 53 women before and several days after surgery. Patients with post-operative abscess formation had significantly greater mean increase in antibody concentration (4.91 microgram/ml) than those without complications (0.62 microgram/ml), with wound infection (1.90 microgram/ml), with pelvic cellulitis (0.63 microgram/ml), and with febrile morbidity (0.95 microgram/ml). There were no significant difference among the latter four groups. We conclude that B. fragilis, may play an important role in abscess formation following hysterectomy, but is infrequently involved in other infectious complications of this procedure. A modification of the previously described model is reported in which infective material is implanted subcutaneuously into Wistar rats. Studies with this model suggest that host response to bacterial challenge is dependent on the site of infections, and that organotropism of the implanted bacterial species is an important determinant of infection. An indirect fluorscent antibody (IFA) test was developed using hyperimmune rabbit serum to a purified capsular polysaccharide of Bacteroides melaninogenicus subspecies asaccharolyticus. Twenty-three of twenty-three strains of B. melaninogenicus ss. asaccharolyticus were fluorescence-positive using this test. The enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay has been developed to measure specific IgG directed against a subspecies specific capsular antigen of B. melaninogenicus subspecies asaccharolyticus.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 01, 1978
- Accession Number
- ADA062530
Entities
People
- Dennis L Kasper