Variable Sensitivity of Oral Isolates of Eikenella Corrodens to Serum Bactericidal Activity: Role of Antibody

Abstract

Eikenella corrodens is a facultatively anaerobic Gram-negative bacterium which is among the predominant cultivable microflora of periodontal lesions characterized by loss of attachment level. In the present study, we examined the potential role of complement-mediated killing in host defense against this periodontopathic organism. Seven clinical isolates obtained from human subgingival plaque and one reference strain of E. corrodens were characterized with respect to (a) susceptibility to the bactericidal properties of pooled human serum and (b) the role of the classical and/or alternative pathway(s) of complement in effecting killing of sensitive strains. Six strains, including the reference strain, were found to be variably serum-sensitive, exhibiting 1-12.5% survival after two hr of incubation in the presence of 20% pooled human serum. The remaining two isolates were serum-resistant. Both serum-resistant and serum-sensitive strains consumed complement via the classical pathway in normal but not in hypogammaglobulinemic serum, thus ruling out an antibody-independent mechanism of classical pathway activation. Four of six serum-sensitive strains exhibited little or no loss of viability following incubation with serum depleted of the classical pathway component Clq. One strain which was resistant to killing by normal human serum was, nevertheless, highly susceptible to complement-mediated killing in the presence of rabbit immune serum. Two additional serum-sensitive strains were killed, albeit to a lesser extent, in Clq-depleted serum, indicative of a role of the alternative pathway in killing of some serum-sensitive strains. These results indicate a potential role for complement-mediated killing in host defense against Gram-negative periodontal bacteria such as E. corrodens. However, the ultimate contribution of this immune defense mechanism may be defined, at least in part, by the presence of a humoral response to key bacterial membrane constituents.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Badger, S.J. and Tanner, A.C.R. (1981): Serologic Studies of Bacteroides gracilis, Campylobacter concisus, Wolinella recta , and Eikenella corrodens, All from Humans with Periodontal Disease, Int J Syst Bacteriol 31: 446-451.

Celikel, T.H. and Muthuswamy, P.P. (1984): Septic Pulmonary Emboli Secondary to Internal Jugular Vein Phlebitis (Post-anginal Sepsis) Caused by Eikenella corrodens, Am Rev Resp Dis 130: 510-513.

Ebersole, J.L. ; Frey, D.E. ; Taubman, M.A. ; and Smith, D.J. (1980): An ELISA for Measuring Serum Antibodies to Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, J Periodont Res 15: 621-632.

Eiken, M. (1958): Studies on an Anaerobic, Rod-shaped Gram-negative Microorganism: Bacteroides corrodens sp., Acta Path Microbiol Scand 43: 404-416.

Emmerson, A.M. and Mills, F. (1978): Recurrent Meningitis and Brain Abscess Caused by Eikenella corrodens, Postgrad Med J 54: 343-345.

Haffajee, A.D. ; Socransky, S.S. ; Ebersole, J.L. ; and Smith D. J. (1984): Clinical and Microbiological Features Associated with the Treatment of Active Periodontosis Lesions, J Clin Periodontol 11: 600-618.

Henriksen, S.D. (1969): Corroding Bacteria from the Respiratory Tract: 2. Bacteroides corrodens, Acta Path Microbiol Scand 75: 91-96.

Jackson, F.L. and Goodman, Y.E. (1972): Transfer of the Facultatively Anaerobic Organism Bacteroides corrodens Eiken to a New Genus, Eikenella, Int J Syst Bacteriol 22: 73-77.

Johnson, D.A. ; Behling, U.H. ; Listgarten, M. ; and No-Wotny, A. (1978): Role of Bacterial Products in Periodontitis: Humoral Immune Response to Eikenella corrodens, Infect Immun 22: 382-386.

10.

Joiner, K.A. ; Goldman, R.C. ; Hammer, C.H. ; Leive, L. ; and Frank, M.M. (1983): Studies of the Mechanism of Bacterial Resistance to Complement-mediated Killing. V. IgG and F(ab)'2 Mediated Killing of E. coli 0111B4 by the Alternative Complement Pathway without Increasing C5b-9 Deposition, J Immunol 131: 2563-2569.

11.

Joiner, K.A. ; Brown, E.J. ; and Frank, M.M. (1984): Complement and Bacteria: Chemistry and Biology in Host Defense, Ann Rev Immunol 2: 461-491.

12.

Kolb, W.P. ; Kolb, L.M. ; and Podack, E.R. (1979): Clq: Isolation from Human Serum in High Yield by Affinity Chromatography and Development of a Highly Sensitive Hemolytic Assay, J Immunol 122: 2103-2111.

13.

Loos, M. ; Wellek, B. ; Thesen, R. ; and Opferkuch, W. (1978): Antibody-independent Interaction of the First Component of Complement with Gram-negative Bacteria, Infect Immun 22: 5-9.

14.

Mandell, R.L. (1984): A Longitudinal Microbiological Investigation of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and Eikenella corrodens in Juvenile Periodontitis , Infect Immun 45: 778-780.

15.

Mandell, R.L. ; Ebersole, J.L. ; and Socransky, S.S. (1987): Clinical Immunologic and Microbiologic Features of Active Disease Sites in Juvenile Periodontitis, J Clin Periodontol 14: 534-540.

16.

Mouton, C. ; Hammond, P.G. ; Slots, J. ; and Genco, R.J. (1981): Serum Antibodies to Oral Bacteroides asaccharolyticus (Bacteroides gingivalis): Relationship to Age and Periodontal Disease, Infecf Immun 31: 182-192.

17.

Naito, Y. ; Okuda, K. ; and Takazoe, I. (1984): Immunoglobulin G Response to Subgingival Gram-negative Bacteria in Human Subjects, Infect Immun 45: 47-51.

18.

Nisengard, R. and Jarrett, C. (1976): Coating of Subgingival Bacteria with Immunoglobulin and Complement, J Periodontol 47: 518-521.

19.

Osterman, L.A. (1984): Methods of Protein and Nucleic Acid Research, Vol. 2, New York: Springer-Verlag , pp. 4-38.

20.

Progulske, A. and Holt, S.C. (1980): Transmission-Scanning Electron Microscopic Observations of Selected Eikenella corrodens Strains, J Bacteriol 143: 1003-1018.

21.

Progulske, A. and Holt, S.C. (1984): Isolation and Characterization of the Outer Membrane and Lipopolysaccharide from E. corrodens, Infect Immun 43: 166-177.

22.

Savitt, E.D. and Socransky, S.S. (1984): Distribution of Certain Subgingival Microbial Species in Selected Periodontal Conditions, J Periodont Res 19: 111-123.

23.

Schenkein, H. and Genco, R. (1977): Gingival Fluid and Serum in Periodontal Diseases. II. Evidence for Cleavage of Complement Components C3, C3 Proactivator (Factor B) and C4 in Gingival Fluid, J Periodontol 48: 778-784.

24.

Schmidt, D.R. and Heckman, J.D. (1983): Eikenella corrodens in Human Bite Infections of the Hand, J Trauma 23: 478-482.

25.

Schneider, H. ; Griffis, J.M. ; Williams, G.D. ; and Pier, G.B. (1982): Immunological Basis of Serum Resistance of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, J Gen Microbiol 128: 13-22.

26.

Steele, N.P. ; Munson, R.S., Jr. ; Granoff, D.M. ; Cummins, J.E. ; and Levine, R.P. (1984): Antibody-dependent Alternative Pathway Killing of Haemophilus influenzae Type b, Infect Immun 44: 452-458.

27.

Suwanagool, S. ; Rothkopf, M.M. ; Smith, S.M. ; Le-Blanc, D. ; and Eng, R. (1983): Pathogenicity of Eikenella corrodens in Humans , Arch Intern Med 143: 2265-2268.

28.

Tanner, A.C.R. ; Haffer, C. ; Bratthall, G.T. ; Visconti, R.A. ; and Socransky, S.S. (1979): A Study of the Bacteria Associated with Advancing Periodontitis in Man, J Clin Periodontol 6: 278-307.

29.

Taylor, P.W. (1983): Bactericidal and Bacteriolytic Activity of Serum against Gram-negative Bacteria, Microbiol Rev 47: 46-83.

30.

Williams, B.L. ; Ebersole, J.L. ; Spektor, M.D. ; and Page, R.C. (1985): Assessment of Serum Antibody Patterns and Analysis of Subgingival Microflora of Members of a Family with a High Prevalence of Early-onset Periodontitis, Infect Immun 49: 742-750.

31.

Wilson, M.E. and Morrison, D.C. (1982): Evidence for Different Requirements in Physical State for the Interaction of Lipopolysaccharides with the Classical and Alternative Pathways of Complement, Eur J Biochem 128: 137-141.

32.

Wilson, M.E. ; Burstein, R. ; Jonak-Urbanczyk, J.T. ; and Genco, R.J. (1985): Sensitivity of Capnocytophaga Species to Bactericidal Properties of Human Serum, Infect Immun 50: 123-129.