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. 1977 Aug;17(2):250–256. doi: 10.1128/iai.17.2.250-256.1977

Effect immunization with highly purified alpha- and beta-toxins on staphylococcal mastitis in rabbits.

C Adlam, P D Ward, A C McCartney, J P Arbuthnott, C M Thorley
PMCID: PMC421109  PMID: 561034

Abstract

Experiments were carried out to determine whether immunization of female rabbits with highly purified staphylococcal alpha- or beta-toxins would protect them against intramammary challenge with staphylococci. High circulating anti-alpha-toxin titers reduced the lethal hemorrhagic edematous form of the disease ("blue-breast") produced by strains BB and Compton 201 to a localized chronic abscess form. No such protection was afforded by high anti-beta-toxin titers. Immunization with alpha- or beta-toxins produced no change in the clinical picture of the disease produced by CN.6708, a strain of Staphylococcus responsible for a natural outbreak of abscess-type rabbit mastitis. From these experiments it would appear that alpha-toxin is a key antigen in the blue-breast form of rabbit mastitis. Since the abscess form of the disease was not prevented by immunization with either alpha- or beta-toxin, other virulence factors must be acting to produce this more localized disease.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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