title: Cross-reactive antibodies prevent the lethal effects of Staphylococcus aureus superantigens.
abstract: The exotoxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus, staphylococcal enterotoxins (SE) A-E and toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST)-1, which are associated with serious diseases, including food poisoning and toxic shock syndrome, are termed superantigens (SAgs). To examine whether common antigenic epitopes were present and whether vaccination with 1 bacterial SAg could protect against challenge with a different SE or TSST-1, mice were vaccinated with SEA, SEB, SEC1, or TSST-1 individually or in combination. Mice injected with a single toxin developed high antibody titers against other SAgs. Marked improvement in survival was observed when immunized mice were challenged with a heterologous toxin. Mice vaccinated with a mixture of toxins were fully protected against 1 or multiple toxin challenges, indicating no interference effects of multivalent vaccinations. More importantly, higher titers were found against each SAg with the multivalent vaccination than with injection with a single SAg. Thus, immunizations with 1 SAg can induce cross-protective antibodies to heterologous SAgs, and multicomponent vaccination can enhance antibody responses against each bacterial SAg.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Biochemistry, USAMRIID, Frederick, MD 21702-5011, USA. sina.bavari@amedd.army.mil
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bavari
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Ulrich
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: LeClaire
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D000917:Antibody Formation; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D003429:Cross Reactions; D004768:Enterotoxins / Q000276:immunology*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000276:immunology*; D018089:Superantigens / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004768:Enterotoxins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D018089:Superantigens; C030107:enterotoxin F, Staphylococcal; C026066:enterotoxin A, Staphylococcal; C031818:enterotoxin B, staphylococcal; C034959:enterotoxin C, staphylococcal