title: Active immunization using exotoxin A confers protection against Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in a mouse burn model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important cause of nosocomial infection and may lead to septicemia and death. We evaluated the immunogenicity of semi-purified exotoxin A from the bacterium in a mouse burn model.
  
  
  METHODS
  The toxoid was prepared from exotoxin A taken from toxigenic strains of P. aeruginosa (PA 103). 50 mice were immunized with the toxoid, burned with hot metal and infected with 1 x 10(8) CFU of toxigenic strains of P. aeruginosa (experimental group); 25 non-immunized mice were also burned and infected (control group). The mortality rate and presence of any exotoxin and P. aeruginosa in the sera, liver and spleen were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the experimental group, 2 mice died before the burns were administered and were excluded from the study. The remainder (48 mice) were challenged with a lethal dose of P. aeruginosa and followed for 70 days. 3 of these mice died. Neither P. aeruginosa nor exotoxin A was not detected in the liver, spleen or sera of the surviving mice. The protective efficacy of toxoid vaccination was therefore 93.8%. In the control group, all mice died from bacteremia and septicemia, most (80%) within 6 days, and P. aeruginosa and exotoxin A were isolated from sera, spleen and liver.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Active immunization of mice using a semi-purified exotoxin A derived from P. aeruginosa was 93.8% effective at protecting mice from subsequent P. aeruginosa infections in a mouse burn model.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. dramanafi@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Manafi
authors.forename: Jamshid
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kohanteb
authors.forename: Davood
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mehrabani
authors.forename: Aziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Japoni
authors.forename: Masoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amini
authors.forename: Mohsen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naghmachi
authors.forename: Ahmad Hosseinzadeh
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Zaghi
authors.forename: Nazanin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Khalili
mesh_terms: D036002:ADP Ribose Transferases / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D021461:Animals, Outbred Strains; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D002056:Burns / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005098:Exotoxins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D054406:Pseudomonas Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D011817:Rabbits; D013154:Spleen / Q000382:microbiology; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D000097668:Pseudomonas aeruginosa Exotoxin A
chemical_list: D036002:ADP Ribose Transferases; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D005098:Exotoxins; D054406:Pseudomonas Vaccines; D037521:Virulence Factors; D000097668:Pseudomonas aeruginosa Exotoxin A