Development of antibodies against recombinant staphylococcal enterotoxin B from food poisoning cases

Background and Aim: Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) is the most common serotype involved in food poisoning. The aim of this study was to develop immunoassay detection methods using a recombinant enterotoxin B antigen protein to produce recombinant polyclonal antibodies in vivo. Materials and Methods: Staphylococcus aureus isolated from a food poisoning case (strain JH5800) was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and confirmed to contain a seb gene of 477 bp. A SEB segment was amplified, cloned, sequenced, and aligned. The PCR product corresponding to the predicted mature SEB peptide was inserted into Escherichia coli BL21 (DE-3) expression vector and expressed as a hexahistidine-SEB fusion protein. Antiserum against recombinant SEB protein was produced by immunization of Balb/c mice. Results: In the indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the polyclonal antibodies produced had a titer of 1:3200. The seb gene of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from a poisoning case (JH5800) had a molecular size of about 477 bp and a band of recombinant SEB toxin was observed at approximately 30 kDa on SDS-PAGE gel. The polyclonal anti-SEB antibody titer, as revealed by indirect ELISA, was 1:3200 at 59 days. Conclusion: SEB recombinant protein could be used to produce polyclonal antibodies. ELISA and Western blotting were used to analyze the specificity and sensitivity of the recombinant polyclonal antibodies. Polyclonal antibodies produced could be used to detect SEB on a large-scale

Cellular immune response of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B in Balb/c mice through intranasal infection

Background and Aim: Staphylococcus aureus produces various superantigen exotoxins, including staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB). It causes fatal anaphylactic reactions and toxic shock. This study aimed to evaluate the reaction of leukocytes and histopathological changes in the respiratory organs of Balb/c mice after intranasal infection with enterotoxigenic S. aureus (SEB). Materials and Methods: The presence of the seb gene in S. aureus was established in this study using polymerase chain reaction-specific primer. Two groups of 8-week-old male Balb-c mice consist of six mice in each group. The treated group was infected with 50 μL and 100 μL of SEB intranasal on days 1 and 14, respectively. NaCl was administered in the second group and was considered as a control group. Blood samples were collected through the retro-orbital plexus on days 1, 4, 7, 14, and 22 after infections. Total cell counts were analyzed with an independent sample t-test and compared using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 16.0 (IBM Corp., NY, USA). The infected tissues of the respiratory organ were observed descriptively and compared to the control group. Results: The seb gene with a molecular size of 478 bp, indicating the SEB strain, is present in S. aureus used in this study. Intranasal administration of SEB showed increased leukocytes, lymphocytes, monocytes, and eosinophils on day 22 postinfection. Significant leukocytosis was seen on days 6 and 14; lymphocytosis on days 1, 4, 6, and 16; and eosinophilia on days 6, 14, and 22 compared with the control group (p > 0.05). In contrast, the neutrophil decreased after an increase of immature band cells compared to the control group, indicating a severe acute infection with SEB. The lungs and trachea of the test group had an inflammatory cell accumulation in the respiratory organ. Conclusion: Intranasal route infection of S. aureus containing seb gene significantly induced the cellular immune response and caused pathological changes in the respiratory tissues of the Balb/c mice model. The hematological changes were aligned with marked pathological changes in the respiratory tract. Balb/c mice could be an excellent experimental model to study toxic and anaphylactic shock against SEB to define the future therapeutic agents