Levels of Antibody against 11 Staphylococcus aureus Antigens in a Healthy Population

Abstract

Serum samples from 151 healthy individuals aged from 15 to 89 years were investigated by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for IgG levels against 11 different purified antigens from Staphylococcus aureus. Surface antigens, such as teichoic acid, clumping factors A and B, and bone sialoprotein binding protein, and extracellular proteins, such as alpha-toxin, lipase, enterotoxin A, toxic shock syndrome toxin, scalded-skin syndrome toxin, fibrinogen binding protein, and extracellular adherence protein, were used. The IgG values were analyzed in relation to the state of nasal carriage at the time of sampling. There was great individual variation in antibody levels in both young and elderly healthy subjects. Occurrence of S. aureus in the nares at the time of sampling was correlated with higher antibody levels, while elderly individuals over 65 years of age showed slightly lower levels than younger adults. More individuals than was expected from random probability calculations showed high antibody levels against several antigens, and more individuals than would be expected showed low levels against several antigens. Certain extracellular proteins had more often induced IgG levels of the same magnitude in the same individuals, indicating that among these individuals, there was a tendency to respond to certain antigens in the same way. Most individuals had circulating IgG antibodies to the 11 tested antigens, and some individuals had the tendency to be "good responders" to several antigens, while others were "poor responders." These findings constitute basic knowledge for the development of improved serological diagnostics, immune prophylaxis, individual prognosis tools, and therapy against invasive Staphylococcus aureus infections.

Characterization of Alpha-Toxin hla Gene Variants, Alpha-Toxin Expression Levels, and Levels of Antibody to Alpha-Toxin in Hemodialysis and Postsurgical Patients with Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia

“…In summary, molecular and microbiological characterization of these S. aureus isolates show that the hla gene, alphatoxin expression, and the MEDI4893 epitope are conserved in a diverse set of SAB isolates from both hemodialysis and postsurgical patients. Levels of alpha-toxin IgG and alpha-toxin-neutralizing Ab levels varied over a 1,000-fold range (0.1 to greater than 100 IU/ml) and were consistent with a recent report showing a broad range of alpha-toxin-specific IgG levels in healthy adults (57). In comparison to alpha-toxin Ab levels in healthy controls, alpha-toxin Ab levels in the SAB patients in this study were significantly higher in all comparisons.…”

Specific Serum Ig Recognizing Staphylococcal Wall Teichoic Acid Induces Complement-Mediated Opsonophagocytosis against Staphylococcus aureus

“…The serum levels of circulating IgGs in patients with S. aureus infections and healthy individuals have been studied intensively (39)(40)(41)(42)(43). Among them, human serum IgG levels against 11 different purified Ags from S. aureus, such as teichoic acid, clumping factors A and B, bone sialoprotein binding protein, a-toxin, lipase, enterotoxin A, toxic shock syndrome toxin, scalded-skin syndrome toxin, fibrinogen binding protein, and extracellular adherence protein have been carefully examined by ELISA against 151 healthy individuals aged 15-89 y (43).…”

“…Among them, human serum IgG levels against 11 different purified Ags from S. aureus, such as teichoic acid, clumping factors A and B, bone sialoprotein binding protein, a-toxin, lipase, enterotoxin A, toxic shock syndrome toxin, scalded-skin syndrome toxin, fibrinogen binding protein, and extracellular adherence protein have been carefully examined by ELISA against 151 healthy individuals aged 15-89 y (43). The results of that study showed great individual variation in serum Ab levels in both young and elderly healthy subjects.…”

Investigational drugs to treat methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus

“…On the other hand, antibodies to many staphylococcal antigens are readily detected in healthy individuals [47, 48]. Although the antibody responses to staphylococcal antigens in infected individuals are generally greater than in non-infected individuals [49, 50], humoral immune responses between individuals with the same S. aureus disease can vary [51].…”