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Variation of type Antigens of Group-B Streptococci

Variation af gruppe B-streptokok typeantigener. III. Variation of the Ibc protein-antigenet

III. Variation of the Protein Antigen Ibc

Abstract

During the natural course of bovine mastitis caused by Group-B streptococci loss or gain of the Ibc-protein antigen was demonstrated on examination of isolates from subsequent samplings. Thus, “genuine” Ibc-stnains may arise from Ib, II Ibc, III Ibc and possibly from Ic-strains by loss of polysaccharide antigen or from non-typeable strains by acquisition of the Ibc-antigen. Variations were not provoked by ordinary laboratory procedures, but probably induced in vivo by specific antibodies.

Sammendrag

Indledningsvis redegøres for Ibc-proteinantigenets placering i det officielle gruppe B-streptokok (B-str.) typeklassificeringssystem. Prævalensen af denne type („Ibc only”, Jelinkova 1977) blandt danske humane (2,6) og bovine (8,6) B-str. isolater anføres.

I 3-årsperioden april 1976–april 1979 diagnosticeredes B-str. infektion i 129 besætninger. I 28 af disse forekom B-str. af Type Ibc. Ialt var 222 kirtler B-str. inficerede og 118 kirtler udskilte B-str. af Type Ibc. Ovennævnte materiale dannede grundlag for studier over Ibc-proteinantigenets stabilitet in vivo og in vitro.

Materialet er anskueliggjort i Tabel 1. I 11 besaetninger var Type Ibc den eneste forekommende type, i 17 forekom tillige B-str. af anden antigenstruktur.

Hvor en kirtel fortsat fandtes inficeret ved en gentagen besaetningsundersøgelse (interval 4–8 uger) foretoges „retypisering”. Ti af 34 stammer udviste variation. To af disse kunne imidlertid henføres til regulaer dobbeltinfektion i besaetningen, sledes at 8 af 34 (25 %) var egentlig variable. Variationernes art er anført i Tabel 2. Der kunne ikke pvises dobbeltinfektion af kirtler (10 undersøgte). Otte stammer undersøgtes for variabilitet in vitro gennem 4 laboratoriegenerationer. Variation pvistes ikke.

I de undersøgte besœtninger pvistes to ussedvanlige B-str. antigenkombinationer: 1a Ibc (mangier Iabc) og Ib Iabc (mangier Ibc).

Det konkluderes, at Type Ibc („Ibc only”) er stabil in vitro, men at denne type kan opstå in vivo fra stammer af Type Ib, II Ibc, III Ibc og muligvis Type Ic gründet tab af polysakkaridantigenet. Type Ibc kan blive ikke-typiserbar (NT) ved tab af Ibc antigenet, men reversion kan forekomme.

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Jensen, N.E. Variation of type Antigens of Group-B Streptococci. Acta Vet Scand 21, 625–632 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03546850

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