HEALTHY-INDIVIDUALS POSSESS CIRCULATING ANTIBODIES AGAINST THEIR INDIGENOUS FECAL MICROFLORA AS WELL AS AGAINST ALLOGENOUS FECAL MICROFLORA- AN IMMUNOMORPHOMETRICAL STUDY

Healthy persons were shown to possess circulating antibodies of both I gA, IgG and IgM isotype directed against the bacteria of their faecal microflora, assessed by immunomorphometry. After removal, by absorptio n, of the fraction of antibodies directed against the autochthonous fa ecal bacteria or cross-reacting with allogenous faecal bacteria, there were still antibodies left directed against allogenous faecal bacteri a of both the IgA, IgG and IgM isotype. However, relatively more antib odies of the IgA isotype appeared to be directed against allogenous ba cteria than against indigenous faecal bacteria. Persons who reacted wi th specific antibodies to many bacteria of their own flora also tended to react specifically to bacteria in the allogenous microflora of the other volunteers. The patterns of antibodies directed to faecal bacte ria of different morphologies (morphotypes) were unique for each indiv idual.