Figure 8.

Active and passive immunization with Eap generates protection from staphylococcal challenge. A) BALB/c mice were immunized with purified Eap or Emp or mock treated with adjuvant alone, and serum IgG titers were analyzed by ELISA. B) Three weeks following immunization, animals were challenged via intravenous inoculation of staphylococci. Five days following infection, kidneys were removed during necropsy, and renal tissue was analyzed for staphylococcal load or histopathology. C) Rabbit antibodies directed against Eap or Emp were purified by affinity chromatography and passively transferred by intraperitoneal injection into mice. Twenty-four hours later, serum IgG titers of passively immunized animals were analyzed by ELISA. D) Animals passively immunized with purified antibodies against Eap or Emp, as well as mock-immunized animals were subsequently challenged with S. aureus Newman, and bacterial load was enumerated on d 4. E) Abscess formation in kidneys was detected in thin-sectioned, H&E-stained tissues.