Staphylococcus Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Staphylococcus, including details on mrsa, hospitals, infection, antibiotic resistance, superbugs.

Immune responses to Staphylococcus aureus and Psoroptes ovis in sheep infected with P. ovis--the sheep scab mite.

Oliveira AM, MacKellar A, Hume L, Huntley JF, Thoday KL, van den Broek AH

The University of Edinburgh, Dermatology Unit, Division of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, The Hospital for Small Animals, Midlothian, EH25 9RG, UK. Ana.Oliveira@ed.ac.uk

In sheep, lesions caused by Psoroptes ovis, the sheep scab mite, may become colonized by Staphylococcus aureus. The present study compares clinical signs, lesional area and the immune response to P. ovis and S. aureus in P. ovis-infested sheep with and without secondary S. aureus infection. No differences were detected in the clinical signs or lesional areas in the S. aureus-positive and -negative sheep. However, 6 weeks after infestation an IgG but not IgE isotype antibody response to S. aureus was detected in the S. aureus-positive but not the S. aureus-negative group of sheep. This response targeted S. aureus antigens with molecular weights of approximately 36, 38, 50 and 65 kDa. In addition, 6 weeks after infestation an IgE response to P. ovis was detected in the S. aureus-positive but not the S. aureus-negative group of sheep.

Published 31 July 2006 in Vet Immunol Immunopathol, 113(1): 64-72.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2008 Staphylococcus Research Today. All Rights Reserved.