HOME ASSIGNMENT 3

NAME : GYANDEV SATYARAM GUPTA ROLL NO : 190100051

EXPLAIN SEROTYPE WITH AN EXAMPLE ?
A serotype or serovar is a distinct variation within
a species of bacteria or virus or among immune cells of different
individuals. These microorganisms, viruses, or cells are classified
together based on their cell surface antigens, allowing the
epidemiologic classification of organisms to the subspecies
level.[1][2][3] A group of serovars with common antigens is called
a serogroup or sometimes serocomplex.
Serotyping often plays an essential role in determining species and
subspecies. The Salmonella genus of bacteria, for example, has
been determined to have over 2600 serotypes,
including Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, S.
enterica serovar Typhi, and S. enterica serovar Dublin.[2] Vibrio
cholerae, the species of bacteria that causes cholera, has over 200
serotypes, based on cell antigens. Only two of them have been
observed to produce the potent enterotoxin that results in cholera:
O1 and O139.
The Kauffman–White classification scheme is the basis for naming
the manifold serovars of Salmonella. To date, more than 2600
different serotypes have been identified.[6] A Salmonella serotype is
determined by the unique combination of reactions of cell
surface antigens. The "O" antigen is determined by the outermost
portion of the Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the "H" antigen is
based on the flagellar (protein) antigens.[7] There are two species
of Salmonella: Salmonella bongori and Salmonella
enterica. Salmonella enterica can be subdivided into six
subspecies. The process to identify the serovar of the bacterium
consists of finding the formula of surface antigens which represent
the variations of the bacteria. The traditional method for determining
the antigen formula is agglutination reactions on slides. The
agglutination between the antigen and the antibody is made with a
specific antisera, which reacts with the antigen to produce a mass.
The antigen O is tested with a bacterial suspension from an agar
plate, whereas the antigen H is tested with a bacterial suspension
from a broth culture. The scheme classifies the serovar depending
on its antigen formula obtained via the agglutination
reactions.[8] Additional serotyping methods and alternative
subtyping methodologies have been reviewed by Wattiau et al.[9]
The immune system is capable of discerning a cell as being 'self' or
'non-self' according to that cell's serotype. In humans, that serotype
is largely determined by human leukocyte antigen (HLA), the
human version of the major histocompatibility complex. Cells
determined to be non-self are usually recognized by the immune
system as foreign, causing an immune response, such
as hemagglutination. Serotypes differ widely between individuals;
therefore, if cells from one human (or animal) are introduced into
another random human, those cells are often determined to be non-
self because they do not match the self-serotype. For this reason,
transplants between genetically non-identical humans often induce
a problematic immune response in the recipient, leading
to transplant rejection. In some situations this effect can be reduced
by serotyping both recipient and potential donors to determine the
closest HLA match.