Pelletier N. auteur aut IRD Raoult Didier auteur aut IRD La Scola B. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access Francisella tularensis, a Gram-negative cocobacillus responsible for tularemia, especially severe pneumonia, is a facultative intracellular bacterium classified as a biological agent of category A. Acanthamoeba polyphaga mimivirus (APM) is a recently discovered giant virus suspected to be an agent of both community-and hospital-acquired pneumonia. During specificity testing of antibody to APM detection, it was observed that nearly all patients infected by F. tularensis had elevated antibody titers to APM. In the present study, we investigated this cross-reactivity by immunoproteomics. Apart from the detection of antibodies reactive to new immunoreactive proteins in patients infected by F. tularensis, we showed that the sera of those patients recognize specifically two proteins of APM: the capsid protein and another protein of unknown function. No common protein motif can be detected in silico based on genome analysis of the involved protein. Furthermore, this cross-reactivity was confirmed with the recombinant capsid protein expressed in Escherichia coli. This emphasizes the pitfalls of a serological diagnosis of pneumonia. specialized tularemia cross-reaction Mimivirus Western blot protein of capsid 052 297 1 117-123 2009 0378-1097 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010046210 10.1111/j.1574-6968.2009.01675.x 0378-1097 [F B010046210] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010046210 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2009/07/010046210.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2009-07-24 2017-08-23 fdi:010046210 fre