CHARACTERIZATION OF OVINE BORDETELLA-PARAPERTUSSIS ISOLATES BY ANALYSIS OF SPECIFIC ENDOTOXIN (LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE) EPITOPES, FILAMENTOUS HEMAGGLUTININ PRODUCTION, CELLULAR FATTY-ACID COMPOSITION AND ANTIBIOTIC-SENSITIVITY

Isolates of Bordetella parapertussis, recovered from sheep or man, wer e characterised by reaction with specific anti-Bordetella lipopolysacc haride monoclonal antibodies, production of filamentous haemagglutinin , fatty acid patterns, and antibiotic sensitivity, Generally, the isol ates lay within one of four groups, with separation of the ovine isola tes into two groups. Reactions with specific monoclonal antibodies aga inst lipopolysaccharide separated the ovine isolates into these two gr oupings. Analysis of the cellular fatty acid compositions by cluster a nalysis differentiated between the human and the ovine strains and als o showed variation within the ovine isolates. When the production of f ilamentous haemagglutinin was analysed in an ELISA system, a similar p attern emerged. Varying concentrations of filamentous haemagglutinin ( 11-429 ng (mg total protein)(-1)) were extracted from the human isolat es and the one group of ovine isolates with no significant protein det ected in the other ovine group. These studies demonstrate variation be tween and within B. parapertussis isolates recovered from two mammalia n sources.