DeLeo Frank R, Freedman Brett, Porter Adeline R, Opoku-Temeng Clement, Kobayashi Scott D, Chen Liang, Kreiswirth Barry N
Laboratory of Bacteriology, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA.
Division of Clinical and Translational Therapeutics, Department of Pharmacy Practice, School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA.
Microbiol Spectr. 2025 Jul;13(7):e0333824. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.03338-24. Epub 2025 May 22.
is primarily an opportunistic pathogen known for causing healthcare-associated infections in individuals with significant risk factors and comorbidities. These bacteria are typically multidrug-resistant (MDR), a phenotype conferred in part by the production of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases and/or carbapenemases. By comparison, so-called hypervirulent (hvKp) are defined by their ability to cause severe community-acquired infections in otherwise healthy individuals. Although hvKp lineages have historically not been MDR, there has been a recent emergence of strains with both hypervirulence and multidrug resistance phenotypes. Treatment of infections caused by MDR can be difficult, and new preventative measures are needed. As a step toward the development of a vaccine directed to prevent or moderate infections caused by these pathogens, we tested the ability of capsule polysaccharide (CPS) derived from eight selected capsule types (KLs) to elicit rabbit antibodies that recognize important KLs isolated from human infections. Seventy-one out of 84 (84.5%) contemporary clinical isolates tested were recognized by CPS-specific rabbit antisera. There was the unexpected binding of the antibodies to some isolates with KLs not included in the CPS-antigen cocktails. Notably, rabbit IgG purified from CPS-specific antisera promoted and/or enhanced human PMN bactericidal activity toward all but one of the selected clinical isolates that were not killed by PMNs outright (in the absence of specific antibody). These data provide support to the idea that a CPS-antigen cocktail could be developed to protect against the KLs that are the most frequent cause of human infections.IMPORTANCE is among the leading causes of death by infectious agents. Many of the prominent lineages are resistant to multiple classes of antibiotics, and options for treatment are limited. New countermeasures that prevent infections are needed. Here we tested the ability of capsule polysaccharide (CPS) antigen mixtures (or cocktails) to elicit rabbit antibodies that recognize from a large collection of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing clinical isolates. Importantly, these antibodies had the ability to promote opsonophagocytic killing by human PMNs. Our results provide proof-of-concept for a CPS vaccine cocktail approach that could be developed to prevent infections caused by the most important lineages.
主要是一种机会性病原体,以在具有重大风险因素和合并症的个体中引起医疗保健相关感染而闻名。这些细菌通常具有多重耐药性(MDR),这种表型部分是由超广谱β-内酰胺酶和/或碳青霉烯酶的产生所赋予的。相比之下,所谓的高毒力肺炎克雷伯菌(hvKp)的定义是它们能够在其他方面健康的个体中引起严重的社区获得性感染。尽管hvKp谱系在历史上并非多重耐药,但最近出现了同时具有高毒力和多重耐药表型的菌株。治疗由多重耐药菌引起的感染可能很困难,因此需要新的预防措施。作为开发一种旨在预防或减轻由这些病原体引起的感染的疫苗的一步,我们测试了从八种选定的荚膜类型(KLs)衍生的荚膜多糖(CPS)引发兔抗体的能力,这些抗体能够识别从人类感染中分离出的重要KLs。在测试的84株当代临床分离株中,有71株(84.5%)被CPS特异性兔抗血清识别。抗体意外地与一些具有未包含在CPS抗原混合物中的KLs的分离株发生结合。值得注意的是,从CPS特异性抗血清中纯化的兔IgG促进和/或增强了人类中性粒细胞对除一株选定临床分离株外的所有菌株的杀菌活性,这株分离株在没有特异性抗体的情况下(即无特异性抗体时)不会被中性粒细胞直接杀死。这些数据支持了这样一种观点,即可以开发一种CPS抗原混合物来预防由最常见的引起人类感染的KLs引起的感染。重要性肺炎克雷伯菌是感染性病原体导致死亡的主要原因之一。许多突出的谱系对多种类别的抗生素具有抗性,治疗选择有限。需要新的预防感染的对策。在这里,我们测试了荚膜多糖(CPS)抗原混合物(或混合物)引发兔抗体的能力,这些抗体能够识别大量产生超广谱β-内酰胺酶的临床分离株中的肺炎克雷伯菌。重要的是,这些抗体具有促进人类中性粒细胞进行调理吞噬杀伤的能力。我们的结果为一种CPS疫苗混合物方法提供了概念验证,该方法可以开发用于预防由最重要的肺炎克雷伯菌谱系引起的感染。