Burkholderia pseudomallei O-polysaccharide (Bp OPS)

Burkholderia pseudomallei O-polysaccharide (OPS) is a critical surface component of the Gram-negative bacterium responsible for melioidosis, a severe and often fatal tropical disease. The OPS is a linear polymer consisting of repeating units of 1,3-linked 2-O-acetyl-6-deoxy-beta-D-manno-heptopyranose residues, which plays a vital role in the pathogen's ability to evade the host's innate immune system by providing resistance to complement-mediated lysis. Because of its high exposure on the bacterial surface and its role as a dominant antigen during infection, it is a primary target for the development of diagnostic assays and prophylactic vaccines. In therapeutic development, OPS is frequently utilized as the carbohydrate component in conjugate vaccines, where it is chemically linked to carrier proteins to elicit a robust T-cell dependent immune response. Monoclonal antibodies targeting specific epitopes of the OPS have also demonstrated protective efficacy in animal models, highlighting its potential as a target for passive immunotherapy. Diagnostic tools, such as lateral flow assays, utilize anti-OPS antibodies to detect the presence of the antigen in clinical samples, providing a rapid means of identifying B. pseudomallei infections in endemic regions.

Other names

O-antigenType II O-polysaccharideB. pseudomallei lipopolysaccharide O-antigenMelioidosis O-antigen

Induction of protective humoral immunity through the production of opsonizing antibodies that facilitate phagocytosis and neutralization of the bacteria.