Antigenic characteristic of the lipopolysaccharides of Coxiella burnetii isolates.

Lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) of 8 isolates of Coxiella burnetii from a variety of clinical and geographical sources could be divided into four groups based on molecular heterogeneity in silver-stained sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) profiles in the region of the 10 to 17 kDa. The lipopolysaccharide of group 1 was identified on isolates from acute Q fever patient, milk and tick. The three remaining groups were primarily found on isolates from human cases of chronic Q fever. These LPSs shared many antigenic epitopes, as determined by immunoblotting with mouse anti-C. burnetii antisera.