Serological response to Chlamydia pneumoniae infection.

The human serological response was analyzed by using sera from patients who were serologically positive but isolation negative for Chlamydia pneumoniae and from patients with proven C. pneumoniae infection based on serology and isolation. To assess whether seroreactivity to C. pneumoniae proteins had potential diagnostic value, the cross-reactivities of these sera to other Chlamydia species and of sera from patients infected with C. trachomatis and C. psittaci to C. pneumoniae proteins were determined. In all serum samples from patients with proven C. pneumoniae infections, reactivities were seen with 98-, 68-, 60-, 39.5-, and 30-kilodalton proteins. Similar patterns were seen in sera from patients who were serologically positive and isolation negative. The onset of seropositivity for C. pneumoniae was accompanied by reactivities against presumably shared chlamydial antigens and a C. pneumoniae-specific 98-kilodalton protein.