TY - JOUR
T1 - Opsonic activity of normal human cerebrospinal fluid for selected bacterial species
AU - Tofte, R. W.
AU - Peterson, P. K.
AU - Kim, Y.
AU - Quie, P. G.
PY - 1979
Y1 - 1979
N2 - The opsonic activity of normal human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has not been well defined. In this study, the opsonic activity of normal CSF for laboratory and blood culture isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Hemophilus influenzae type b, and Neisseria meningitidis was measured by a quantitative assay employing radiolabeled bacteria and polymorphonuclear leukocytes. All isolates of S. aureus, except the Wood 46 strain, were opsonized in undiluted CSF (> 50% uptake by polymorphonuclear leukocytes). There was heat-stable and heat-labile opsonic activity in CSF for S. aureus. Only one blood culture isolate of E. coli was moderately well opsonized in undiluted CSF (26% uptake). None of the remaining laboratory or clinical isolates were opsonized in undiluted CSF. The S. aureus isolates were more readily opsonized in dilute normal serum than were the other bacterial species, and complement appeared to be the heat-labile opsonin in serum. However, complement may not be the heat-labile opsonin in normal CSF for S. aureus. In contrast to serum, complement C3 was not visualized on the staphylococcal cell surface by immunofluorescence microscopy and chelation of CSF did not diminish opsonic activity. This study demonstrates that normal CSF is opsonic for S. aureus but not for bacterial species that more commonly cause meningitis. These species differences in opsonic requirements may be important in the pathogenesis of meningitis.
AB - The opsonic activity of normal human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has not been well defined. In this study, the opsonic activity of normal CSF for laboratory and blood culture isolates of Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Hemophilus influenzae type b, and Neisseria meningitidis was measured by a quantitative assay employing radiolabeled bacteria and polymorphonuclear leukocytes. All isolates of S. aureus, except the Wood 46 strain, were opsonized in undiluted CSF (> 50% uptake by polymorphonuclear leukocytes). There was heat-stable and heat-labile opsonic activity in CSF for S. aureus. Only one blood culture isolate of E. coli was moderately well opsonized in undiluted CSF (26% uptake). None of the remaining laboratory or clinical isolates were opsonized in undiluted CSF. The S. aureus isolates were more readily opsonized in dilute normal serum than were the other bacterial species, and complement appeared to be the heat-labile opsonin in serum. However, complement may not be the heat-labile opsonin in normal CSF for S. aureus. In contrast to serum, complement C3 was not visualized on the staphylococcal cell surface by immunofluorescence microscopy and chelation of CSF did not diminish opsonic activity. This study demonstrates that normal CSF is opsonic for S. aureus but not for bacterial species that more commonly cause meningitis. These species differences in opsonic requirements may be important in the pathogenesis of meningitis.
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U2 - 10.1128/iai.26.3.1093-1098.1979
DO - 10.1128/iai.26.3.1093-1098.1979
M3 - Article
C2 - 43289
AN - SCOPUS:0018717696
VL - 26
SP - 1093
EP - 1098
JO - Infection and Immunity
JF - Infection and Immunity
SN - 0019-9567
IS - 3
ER -