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Abstract
Three strains of gram-negative bacteria—one each of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterobacter sp.—were treated with anti-lipopolysaccharide hyperimmune equine plasma (anti-LPS) or nun-immune control plasma and examined by scanning electronmicroscopy. Within a few minutes of treatment with anti-LPS, bacteria were agglutinated. Evidence of cell membrane destruction was observed shortly thereafter and total cell disintegration and disruption occurred within 1–2 h. In contrast, non-immune plasma had no effect on cell morphology. This confirms the findings in previous microbiological studies that specific antibodies in anti-LPS bind to lipopolysaccharide (LPS endotoxin), and thereby initiate the destruction of gram-negative bacteria.
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