Evidence of persisting serum antibodies to Escherichia coli O157 lipopolysaccharide and Verocytotoxin in members of rural communities in England

The techniques of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblotting were used to examine a total of 1667 sera, from apparently healthy members of rural communities in England, for antibodies to the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Escherichia coli O157 and Verocytotoxins (VT). Twenty-nine sera from 22 individuals were shown to have antibodies specific for E. coli O157 LPS. Some of these lived on livestock farms and had occupational contact with cattle, suggesting that personnel working with farm animals may produce serum antibodies to the O157 LPS antigens. Fifteen people had IgG class antibodies to O157 LPS, suggesting long-term exposure to E. coli O157 and five people had serum antibodies on more than one occasion showing evidence of persistent antibodies to O157 LPS. Thirteen sera from 12 of 22 individuals also contained antibodies to VT1, VT2 or both toxins. Ten sera contained antibodies to VT1 and VT2, three sera contained antibodies to VT2 only.