Characterization of IgD-binding by respiratory pathogens.
The focus of this thesis was to explore the interaction between IgD and Moraxella catarrhalis and Haemophilus influenzae. These two respiratory pathogens are responsible for otitis media in children, and exacerbations in patients afflicted with predisposing conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Both M. catarrhalis and H. influenzae have been shown to bind IgD in a non-im