@article{3085381,
    title = "Neisseria meningitidis, Neisseria lactamica and Moraxella catarrhalis
share cross-reactive carbohydrate antigens",
    author = "Braun, JM and Beuth, J and Blackwell, CC and Giersen, S and Higgins, PG and and Tzanakaki, G and Unverhau, H and Weir, DM",
    journal = "Vaccine",
    year = "2004",
    volume = "22",
    number = "7",
    pages = "898-908",
    publisher = "Elsevier Sci Ltd, Exeter, United Kingdom",
    issn = "0264-410X",
    doi = "10.1016/j.vaccine.2003.11.036",
    keywords = "meningococcal disease; endotoxin; cross-reactivity",
    abstract = "Carriage of commensal bacteria species is associated with the
development of natural immunity to meningococcal. disease, with
lipo-oligosaccharides (LOS) of meningococci being one of the main
virulence factors associated with severity of meningococcal disease.
Meningococcal reference strains and isolates from the commensal species
Neisseria lactamica and Moraxella catarrhalis were assessed for the
presence of cross-reactive glycoconjugate antigens. Binding of human
blood group antibodies of the P and Ii system to meningococcal
immunotype reference strains were in accordance with the presence of
known LOS carbohydrate structures. Binding studies with meningococcal
immunotyping antibodies and blood group phenotyping antibodies to N.
lactamica strains from different European countries showed, that a
greater number of isolates obtained from native Greek and Scottish
adults and children bound anti-meningococcal L(3, 7, 9) immunotyping (P
< 0.001), p(K) (P = 0.035) and paragloboside (P < 0.001) blood group
typing antibodies compared to isolates obtained from children of Russian
immigrants in Greece. A greater number of M. catarrhalis strains
isolated from children in Scotland bound anti-L(3,7,9) antibodies
(38.2%) compared to strains isolated from adults (22.2%) (P = 0.017).
These findings provide evidence that blood group like glycoconjugate
antigens found on the commensal species N. lactamica and M. catarrhalis
might be involved in the development of natural immunity to
meningococcal endotoxins during childhood, and might be exploited as
anti-meningococcal vaccine candidates. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights
reserved."
}