SEROLOGICAL TYPES OFESCHERICHIA COLIIN ASSOCIATION WITH INFANTILE GASTROENTERITIS

Abstract

In an earlier communication (Aboul-Dahab et al. 1958) the authors reported on the variability of response to chloromycetin of infants admitted to hospital (August 1954-1955) during a major study on gastroenteritis (Tawil et al., 1959). A relevant feature was the high incidence of relapses among the inpatients of period 3 (May 28, 1955, to August 15, 1955) of that study, particularly the chloromycetin-treated group of cases. The relapses usually coincided with the recovery, from the stools, of strains of Escherichia coli that were resistant to chloromycetin. These strains possessed the same somatic 0 antigen and Dr. F. Qrskov, who kindly checked our findings,

RELATIONSHIP OF HOST ANTIBODY TO FLUCTUATIONS OFESCHERICHIA COLISEROTYPES IN THE HUMAN INTESTINE

“…The latter is an example of polysaccharide antigens of an E. coli serotype which exhibited higher titers of 1: 160 to 1: 640 with the November isolate in contrast to a previous titer range of 1:20 to 1:160. These changes may be explained as either a quantitative loss or gain of specific polysaccharide available for extraction (Tawil and El Kholy, 1959) or a minor qualitative difference in the antigenic composition of the strain. A loss of polysaccharide content which occurs when E. coli strains become rough (Wardlaw, 1960) would result in a sensitizing antigen of lowered poteney and therefore lowered ability of the sensitized red blood cells to combine with specific antibody.…”