W. Rudnicka et al., SPECIFIC IMMUNE-RESPONSE TO STAPHYLOCOCCAL ANTIGENS DURING LONG-LASTING BIOMATERIAL IMPLANTATION, FEMS immunology and medical microbiology, 19(1), 1997, pp. 7-14
Biomaterial-associated infections caused by staphylococci are one of t
he main therapeutic problems in modern medicine. There is no doubt tha
t local disfunction of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and macrophages pr
edisposes to such infections. However, it is not clear how implantatio
n of a foreign body influences the antibacterial immune response. We a
nalyzed some parameters of the specific immune response to staphylococ
cal antigens, in mice implanted for 3 months with heparinized polyethy
lene. Three weeks before the evaluation of the immune response, mice (
implanted and non-implanted) were infected i.p. with 2x10(7) cells of
Staphylococcus aureus Cowan 1. The proliferation of splenocytes was de
termined on the basis of [H-3]thymidine incorporation in cultures stim
ulated with staphylococcal lipoteichoic acid, protein A, alpha-toxin,
or phytohemagglutinin. Moreover, the level of specific antibodies to s
taphylococcal antigens was determined in serum samples (ELISA with the
antigens lipoteichoic acid, protein A, and alpha-toxin). The data obt
ained indicate that long-lasting implantation caused evident changes i
n proliferative activity of lymphocytes and in humoral response to sta
phylococcal antigens. It enhanced spontaneous and lipoteichoic acid- o
r alpha-toxin-stimulated proliferation of splenocytes, in vitro. In co
ntrast, heparinized polyethylene-implanted animals showed a significan
t decrease in the production of anti-protein A IgG2b and anti-alpha-to
xin IgG2a and IgG2b.