Human cell-mediated immune responses to antigenic fractions of Salmonella typhi

The proliferative responses of peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 10 subjects that had typhoid fever, and healthy volunteers without history of typhoid fever or immunization against disease, were analysed with antigen fractions from two protein extracts of Salmonella typhi. Fractions from each extract were separated by sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) electrophoresis, transferred to nitrocellulose filters by electroblotting and processed to obtain antigen-bearing nitrocellulose particles for use in lymphocyte cultures. Although the individual proliferative responses were heterogeneous we identified two main immunogenic regions of 29-32 10(3) MW and 45-56 x 10(3) MW for both extracts. Even though there was no one particular antigenic fraction capable of stimulating lymphocytes from all individuals with a previous history of typhoid fever, the combination of three fractions 29-32, 41-45, 63-71 x 10(3) MW could be stimulatory for cells of 90% of these individuals. Also, four subjects that did not respond to unfractionated antigens gave proliferative responses to several fractions of the same extract. We have identified the main immunogenic fractions of S. typhi that might play a role during typhoid infection and postinfection immunity, and merit further purification and characterization.