| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2402384 | Vaccine | 2013 | 6 Pages |
Streptococcus equi ssp. zooepidemicus (Streptococcus zooepidemicus, SEZ) is an important pathogen associated with opportunistic infections of a wide range of species, including horses, pigs and humans. The absence of suitable vaccine confounds the control of SEZ infection. Cell surface protein (CSP) has been identified as an immunogenic protein in the previous study but its protective efficacy is not clear. In the present study, the purified recombinant CSP could elicit a significant humoral antibody response and could confer significant protection against challenge with lethal dose of SEZ in mice model. CSP could adhere to the HEp-2 cells confirmed by flow cytometry and inhibit adherence of SEZ to HEp-2 cells in an adherence inhibition assay. In addition, real-time PCR demonstrated that CSP was induced in vivo following infection of mice with SEZ. Our findings suggest that CSP may play a potential role in the pathogenesis of SEZ and could be a target for the development of a novel subunit vaccine against SEZ infection.
► The purified recombinant CSP could protect mice against SEZ infection. ► CSP could elicit a strong humoral antibody response. ► The hyperimmune sera against CSP conferred protection against SEZ infection. ► Our findings suggest that CSP would be a promising subunit vaccine candidate.
