Staphylococcus aureus (n=157) isolated from intramammary infections in Argentine dairy areas were evaluated for presence of cap5 and cap8 loci. Isolates carrying cap5 and cap8 were serotyped using specific antisera. Sixty four percent of the isolates were genotyped as cap5 or cap8 and 50% of them expressed CP5 or 8.

Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of nosocomial and community-acquired infections for which a vaccine is greatly desired. Antigens found on the S. aureus outer surface include the capsular polysaccharides (CP) of serotype 5 (CP5) or 8 (CP8) and/or a second antigen, a β-(1→6)-polymer of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (PNAG). Antibodies specific for either CP or PNAG antigens have excellent in vitro...

The Staphylococcus aureus serotype 5 capsular polysaccharide (CP5) has a repeating unit composed of (-->4)-3-O-acetyl-beta-D-ManNAcA-(1-->4)-alpha-L-FucNAc (1-->3)-beta-D-FucNAc-(1-->)(n). Sixteen chromosomal genes (cap5A through cap5P) are involved in the synthesis of CP5. We recently demonstrated that Cap5P, a 2-epimerase, catalyzes the conversion of UDP-N-acetyl glucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) to U...

Staphylococcus aureus is recognized worldwide as a pathogen causing many serious diseases in humans and animals, and is one of the most important etiological agents of clinical and subclinical bovine mastitis. The aim of the present study was to investigate and correlate properties, that may be associated with persistent mastitis, of S. aureus strains isolated from milk of cows suffering from m...

The pathogenesis of Staphylococcus aureus infections is influenced by multiple virulence factors that are expressed under variable conditions, and this has complicated the design of an effective vaccine. Clinical trials that targeted the capsule or clumping factor A (ClfA) failed to protect the recipients against staphylococcal infections. We passively immunized lactating mice with rabbit antib...

We present a method for exploring θ -dependence in two-dimensional U(1) gauge theories which is based on the calculation of fractionally charged Wilson loops in the θ = 0 theory. Including a Wilson loop with charge q = θ/2π in the path integral of a U(1) gauge theory in two spacetime dimensions is equivalent to including a θ -term in the two-volume enclosed by the loop. We study the θ -dependen...

Staphylococcus aureus expression of capsular polysaccharide type 5 (CP5) has been shown to be downregulated by CO(2). Here we show that CO(2) reduces CP5 expression at the transcriptional level and that CO(2) regulates CP8 expression depending on the genetic background of the strains. Growth in the presence of air supplemented with 5% CO(2) caused a significant decrease in CP8 expression in fou...