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Infect Immun, August 1998, p. 3931-3935, Vol. 66, No. 8
0019-9567/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Role of Streptococcal Pyrogenic Exotoxin B in the Mouse Model of Group A Streptococcal Infection

Chih-Feng Kuo,1 Jiunn-Jong Wu,2 Kuei-Yuan Lin,1 Pei-Jane Tsai,1 Shiour-Ching Lee,1 Ying-Tai Jin,3 Huan-Yao Lei,1 and Yee-Shin Lin1 *

Departments of Microbiology and Immunology,1 Medical Technology,2 and Pathology,3 National Cheng Kung University Medical College, Tainan, Taiwan, Republic of China

Received 26 February 1998/Accepted 14 May 1998

Streptococcal pyrogenic exotoxin B (SPE B) is a cysteine protease produced by Streptococcus pyogenes. In this study, the differences in virulence between protease-positive clinical isolates and their protease-negative mutants were examined in a mouse model. Isogenic protease-negative mutants were constructed by homologous recombination, using integrational plasmids to disrupt the speB gene. These mutants caused less mortality and tissue damage than protease-positive strains when inoculated into BALB/c mice via air pouch, suggesting that SPE B cysteine protease plays an important role in the pathogenesis of S. pyogenes infection. Reconstitution of SPE B in the air pouches increased the mortality of mice receiving the speB mutant strain. Infiltrated cell numbers in the exudates from the air pouches of mice infected with SPE B-producing S. pyogenes were higher than those from mice infected with protease-negative mutants at 12 h. However, despite pretreatment with vinblastine to deplete neutrophils, injection of protease-positive bacteria still resulted in severe tissue injury, indicating that neutrophil infiltration may not be the major factor involved in SPE B-enhanced tissue damage. The role of SPE B was further confirmed by demonstrating that SPE B immunization of mice conferred protection from challenge with a lethal dose of protease-positive bacteria.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, National Cheng Kung University Medical College, Tainan, Taiwan, Republic of China. Phone: 886-6-2353535, ext. 5646. Fax: 886-6-2082705. E-mail: yslin1{at}mail.ncku.edu.tw.

Infect Immun, August 1998, p. 3931-3935, Vol. 66, No. 8
0019-9567/98/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1998, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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