title: Streptococcal Immunity Is Constrained by Lack of Immunological Memory following a Single Episode of Pyoderma.
abstract: The immunobiology underlying the slow acquisition of skin immunity to group A streptococci (GAS), is not understood, but attributed to specific virulence factors impeding innate immunity and significant antigenic diversity of the type-specific M-protein, hindering acquired immunity. We used a number of epidemiologically distinct GAS strains to model the development of acquired immunity. We show that infection leads to antibody responses to the serotype-specific determinants on the M-protein and profound protective immunity; however, memory B cells do not develop and immunity is rapidly lost. Furthermore, antibodies do not develop to a conserved M-protein epitope that is able to induce immunity following vaccination. However, if re-infected with the same strain within three weeks, enduring immunity and memory B-cells (MBCs) to type-specific epitopes do develop. Such MBCs can adoptively transfer protection to naïve recipients. Thus, highly protective M-protein-specific MBCs may never develop following a single episode of pyoderma, contributing to the slow acquisition of immunity and to streptococcal endemicity in at-risk populations.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Glycomics, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Manisha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pandey
authors.affiliation: Institute for Glycomics, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ozberk
authors.affiliation: Institute for Glycomics, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Ainslie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Calcutt
authors.affiliation: Institute for Glycomics, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Langshaw
authors.affiliation: Institute for Glycomics, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Powell
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Rivera-Hernandez
authors.affiliation: Institute for Glycomics, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Mei-Fong
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5958-4942
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: Institute for Glycomics, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Zachary
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Philips
authors.affiliation: Institute for Glycomics, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Batzloff
authors.affiliation: Institute for Glycomics, Gold Coast Campus, Griffith University, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Good
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D007156:Immunologic Memory / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D011711:Pyoderma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D013297:Streptococcus pyogenes