Passive immunization against Pseudomonas with a ribosomal vaccine-induced immune serum and immunoglobulin fractions

Passive protection of mice against Pseudomonas aeruginosa using specific antisera and immunoglobulin fractions induced by immunizing rabbits with a ribosomal vaccine is reported. The results demonstrated that protection by the ribosomal vaccine against challenge with live organisms can be serum mediated. Previous work has shown that the vaccine can be separated into two components on the basis of molecular weight and that both higher (peak A)- and lower (peak B)-molecular-weight fractions were capable of inducing active immunity in mice. The present report indicates that both fractions are also capable of eliciting the production of mouse-protective antibody in rabbits. Agar gel diffusion with antisera to peaks A and B or unfractionated vaccine indicated a common antigenic component among them in addition to an extra antigen in unfractionated vaccine not present in peak B. Passive hemagglutination with antisera to peaks A and B demonstrated high-titer agglutinating antibody only with antiserum to peak A when a method of erythrocyte sensitization for lipopolysaccharide antigens was used. Also, passive hemagglutination was greatly inhibited by small amounts of lipopolysaccharide prepared from the same organism from which the vaccine was made. Both antisera to peaks A and B fixed complement with either A or B antigens. Antisera to peaks A and B, when reacted with peak B antigen, had about the same complement fixation titer (as determined by a quantitative complement fixation test). However, when peak A antigen was used, antiserum to peak A had about twice the complement fixation titer that antiserum to peak B had. These results are consistent with previous observations which suggest that the ribosomal vaccine contains lipopolysaccharide in addition to an unidentified immunogenic principle associated with ribosomes. Furthermore, this immunogen was present in both peaks A and B, but detectable amounts of lipopolysaccharide were present only in peak A. The relative importance of the immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM classes of antibodies was also compared. The results indicated that both IgG and IgM isolated from immune rabbit serum are protective in mice. Only IgG precipitated with the vaccine in agar gel diffusion, but both IgG and IgM were active in passive hemagglutination and in complement fixation. The passive hemagglutination titer of the IgM was higher than that of the IgG, but the complement fixation titer of the IgG was higher than that of the IgM. The mouse-protective capability of the IgG and IgM was about the same.