title: The potential use of toxin antibodies as a strategy for controlling acute Staphylococcus aureus infections.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The pandemic human pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus, displays high levels of antibiotic resistance and is a major cause of hospital- and community-associated infections. S. aureus disease manifestation is to a great extent due to the production of a large arsenal of virulence factors, which include a series of secreted toxins. Antibodies to S. aureus toxins are found in people who are infected or asymptomatically colonized with S. aureus. Immunotherapies consisting of neutralizing anti-toxin antibodies could provide immediate aid to patients with impaired immune systems or in advanced stages of disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  Important S. aureus toxins, their roles in pathogenesis, rationales for selecting S. aureus toxins for immunization efforts, and caveats associated with monoclonal antibody-based passive immunization are discussed. This review will focus on hyper-virulent community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus because of their recent surge and clinical importance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Antibodies against genome-encoded toxins may be more broadly applicable than those directed against toxins found only in a sub-population of S. aureus isolates. Furthermore, there is substantial functional redundancy among S. aureus toxins. Thus, an optimal anti-S. aureus formulation may consist of multiple antibodies directed against a series of key S. aureus genome-encoded toxins.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Human Bacterial Pathogenesis, NIAID, NIH, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
authors.forename: Gordon Y C
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Cheung
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Otto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D055624:Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus / Q000276:immunology*; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001427:Bacterial Toxins