MRSA Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about MRSA, including details on methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, hospitals, infection, antibiotic resistance, superbugs.

Immunization of mice with autolysin adhesin (Aaa) provides protection against Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis infection.

Komaravelli N, Gupta P, Vellanki RN, Choudhary ML, Mangamoori L, Khatri G

Centre for Biotechnology, Institute of Science and Technology, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Kukatpally, Hyderabad-500072, India; Bharat Biotech Foundation, Genome Valley, Turkapally, Shameerpet, Hyderabad-500078, India.

Staphylococci cause a wide range of diseases and are involved in >50% of hospital born bacteremia. Emergence of antibiotic resistance among them increased health care expenses worldwide, mandating vaccine development. Adhesins are important virulence factors required during early phases of staphylococci infection. Multifunctional autolysin adhesins Aaa/Aae, recently identified in Staphylococcus aureus/Staphylococcus epidermidis, have bacteriolytic function and binds serum proteins fibrinogen, fibronectin, and vitronectin. In the present study, we showed that Aaa is immunogenic. Rabbit immune sera against Aaa mediated opsonophagocytic killing of S. aureus and S. epidermidis in vitro. The protective effect of Aaa was evaluated in vivo by immunization of mice with Aaa and challenge with a sublethal dose of 3 strains of S. aureus including a MRSA and S. epidermidis. Kidneys from immunized mice demonstrated 10,000 times less bacteria than the positive control (P < 0.01). Our findings indicate that Aaa is a potential vaccine candidate for efficiently fighting these multidrug-resistant superbugs.

Published 10 July 2006 in Clin Immunol.
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