Cross‐Reactions Between Staphylococcus Aureus and Fifteen Other Bacterial Species

Abstract

Different antigens (55) were demonstrated in an antigen preparation obtained by sonication of a protein A-free strain of S. aureus using crossed immunoelectrophoresis and rabbit antiserum. The antigens were characterized by absorption experiments with formalin-killed bacterial cells, temperature resistance and protein and polysaccharide staining. One antigen showed identity with a teichoic acid preparation from S. aureus. Using this reference system, cross-reactions between the S. aureus reference strain and S. aureus strains from the 4 phage groups and 15 other bacterial species [S. epidermidis, Streptococcus faecalis, S. pyogenes, Bacillus cereus var. mycoides, B. subtilis, Listeria monocytogenes, Corynebacterium sp., Clostridium perfrigens, Neisseria meningitidis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bordetella pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae] were studied by quantitative immunoelectrophoretic methods. The S. aureus antigens from the 4 phage groups showed almost 100% cross-reactivity for all antigens; antigens from 9 other bacterial species cross-reacted to varying degrees with 1-4 S. aureus antigens. All 12 S. aureus antigens cross-reacted with the 4 S. epidermidis biotypes.