PARENTERAL APPLICATION OF A PSEUDOMONAS-AERUGINOSA FLAGELLA VACCINE ELICITS SPECIFIC ANTI-FLAGELLA ANTIBODIES IN THE AIRWAYS OF HEALTHY-INDIVIDUALS

To test the hypothesis that a Pseudomonas aeruginosa flagella (FLA) va ccine, intramuscularly administered, elicits specific antibodies in th e respiratory tract, antibody titers against FLA were determined in se ra and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids of 10 healthy human adults before and after immunization. Immunization produced significantly inc reased anti-FLA antibody titers in all sera(mean reciprocal titers: Ig G: 26,711; IgA: 2,767; IgM: 421) and on respiratory epithelial lining fluids (mean reciprocal titers: IgG: 112; IgA: 76; sIgA: 26). Signific ant differences in class-specific serum and BAL anti-FLA titers sugges ted airway antibody production. The study shows that parenteral immuni zation provides not only high systemic antibody titers but also local antibody production in the human respiratory tract.