Protective effect of glutathione S-transferase-fused mutant staphylococcal enterotoxin C against Staphylococcus aureus-induced bovine mastitis

• Published in: Veterinary immunology and immunopathology 2010-05, Vol.135 (1-2), p.64-70
• Main Authors: Cui, Jing-Chun, Zhang, Bao-Jun, Lin, Yan-Chun, Wang, Quan-Kai, Qian, Ai-Dong, Nakane, Akio, Hu, Dong-Liang, Tong, Guang-Zhi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Neutralizing - immunology; antibody formation; Antibody Formation - immunology; bacterial antigens; Bovine mastitis; Cattle; cows; Cytokines - immunology; enterotoxin C; enterotoxins; Enterotoxins - immunology; Enterotoxins - therapeutic use; Female; glutathione transferase; Glutathione Transferase - immunology; Glutathione Transferase - therapeutic use; interferons; Mastitis, Bovine - immunology; Mastitis, Bovine - prevention & control; milk; Milk - immunology; recombinant fusion proteins; Recombinant Fusion Proteins - immunology; Recombinant Fusion Proteins - therapeutic use; recombinant vaccines; somatic cell count; Staphylococcal Infections - immunology; Staphylococcal Infections - prevention & control; Staphylococcal Infections - veterinary; Staphylococcus aureus; Staphylococcus aureus - immunology; Superantigenic toxin; Superantigens - immunology; tumor necrosis factor-alpha; Vaccination; Vaccines, Synthetic - immunology; Vaccines, Synthetic - therapeutic use
• ISSN: 0165-2427; 1873-2534
• DOI: 10.1016/j.vetimm.2009.11.001

Recent studies have demonstrated that immunization with nontoxic mutant staphylococcal enterotoxin C (mSEC) provides protection against Staphylococcus aureus infection in mouse models. In the present study, we investigated whether vaccination with a glutathione S-transferase-fused SEC (GST-mSEC) can protect against S. aureus-induced bovine mastitis. Cows were immunized with the GST-mSEC plus alum adjuvant and then challenged with viable S. aureus by an intramammary route. The results showed that immunization with GST-mSEC-induced production of SEC-specific antibodies in sera and the high titers of antibodies could persist for over 12 weeks. Importantly, immunization with GST-mSEC also induced production of SEC-specific antibodies in milk. The somatic cell counts in the milk from S. aureus challenged quarters of vaccinated lactating cows were significantly lower than those of the non-vaccinated control animals. Furthermore, the sera from GST-mSEC-immunized cows significantly inhibited interferon-γ and tumor necrosis factor-α production from mouse spleen cells induced by wild-type SEC. These results suggest that vaccination with GST-mSEC provides protection against S. aureus-induced bovine mastitis and that the protection might be mediated by SEC-neutralizing antibodies.