Current Microbiology, Vol.36, No.4, 196-201, 1998
Serological reactivity of humans to a Vibrio cholerae common antigen
Over the course of seven pandemics, Vibrio cholerae serotypes have varied. In 1992 the appearance of a new serotype, O139 Bengal, began the eighth cholera pandemic, Several new O139 antigens have been identified, yet a common V. cholerae antigen has not been described. In this study, a monoclonal antibody specific against an 18.7-kDa outer membrane antigen reacted in dotblot analysis with 292 epidemiologically diverse V. cholerae isolates including O1, non-O1, and O139 serotypes. Serum collected from volunteers experimentally challenged with V: cholerae O139, and rabbit antisera to V. cholerae O1, were reactive with the 18.7-kDa antigen by Western immunoblot. This is the first report that the 18.7-kDa antigen is present in V cholerae O139.