Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Briles, D E
• Scott, G
• Gray, B
• Crain, M J
• Blaese, M
• Nahm, M
• Scott, V
• Haber, P

Titel

Naturally occurring antibodies to phosphocholine as a potential index of antibody responsiveness to polysaccharides

Ist Teil von

• The Journal of infectious diseases, 1987-06, Vol.155 (6), p.1307-1314

Ort / Verlag

United States

Erscheinungsjahr

1987

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Naturally occurring antibodies reactive with the phosphocholine (PC) determinant of pneumococcal teichoic acids may be useful for evaluating the potential of patients to make antibodies to polysaccharides. Antibodies to PC are present in most adults under the age of 60 years, are absent in very young children, and are present at low levels in Wiscott-Aldrich patients and in IgG2-deficient adults. These last three groups respond very poorly to polysaccharide antigens. Antibodies to PC are also found at low levels in the elderly, a group that has previously been shown to have low levels of antibody to blood groups A and B carbohydrates. The levels of antibody to PC over time were constant in most individuals and, in adults, seemed to show slightly less variation than did titers of antibody to blood group B. Our findings suggest that titers of antibody to PC may be superior to titers of antibody to blood group A or B for monitoring responsiveness to carbohydrate antigens.