Importance of B Lymphocytes and the IgG-Binding Protein Sbi in Staphylococcus aureus Skin Infection

Recurrent Staphylococcus aureus infections are common, suggesting that immunity elicited by these infections is not protective. We previously reported that S. aureus skin infection (SSTI) elicited antibody-mediated immunity against secondary SSTI in BALB/c mice. In this study, we investigated the role of humoral immunity and the IgG-binding proteins Sbi and SpA in S. aureus SSTI. We found that B lymphocyte-deficient μMT mice were highly susceptible to infection, compared with congenic BALB/c mice. Importantly, transfer of immune serum protected μMT mice, demonstrating an appropriate response to protective antibody. We found that deletion of sbi, but not spa, impaired virulence, as assessed by skin lesion severity, and that Sbi-mediated virulence required B lymphocytes/antibody. Furthermore, neither Sbi nor SpA impaired the elicited antibody response or protection against secondary SSTI. Taken together, these findings highlight a B lymphocyte/antibody-dependent role of Sbi in the pathogenesis of S. aureus SSTI, and demonstrate that neither Sbi nor SpA interfered with elicited antibody-mediated immunity.