Lipopolysaccharides from Proteus vulgaris

Lipopolysaccharides (LPSs) are characteristic components of the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria. They consist of lipid A moiety linked to an antigenic O-polysaccharide.
Proteus vulgaris is a rod-shaped Gram-negative, facultative anaerobe bacterium. It inhabits the intestinal tract of humans and animals and can be found in soil, water and feces. P. vulgaris is a member of the Enterobacteriaceae family which are opportunistic pathogens in humans, responsible for urinary tract and burn infections.
The chemical structures of LPS from Proteus sp. are different from each other.

LPS and its lipid A moiety stimulate cells of the innate immune system by the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), a member of the Toll-like receptor protein family, which recognizes common pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). Different chemical structures of LPS can be associated with the virulence and pathogenesis of the bacteria. It has been reported that the LPS chemical structure from P. vulgaris can influence the crystallization of mineral urine components (such as calcium and magnesium), resulting in stone formation in the kidney. Antibodies produced in rickettsial infections were found to react with LPS from Proteus vulgaris and Proteus mirabilis. This phenomenon allows the purified LPS from these two species to serve as a tool for the diagnosis of rickettsiosis (scrub typhus, caused by the bacterium Orientia sp.) in the Weil-Felix test.

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