Flagellar preparations from Pseudomonas aeruginosa: animal protection studies.

Recent reports have suggested that motility is associated with virulence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We have confirmed this observation by showing that groups of mice immunized with P. aeruginosa flagellar-antigen preparations display enhanced survival when they are subsequently burned and challenged locally in the burned area with strains of P. aeruginosa. The protection appears to be due to the immobilization of the microorganisms in the burned skin tissue. Liver elongation factor 2 is also protected. The protection afforded by immunization with flagellar-antigen preparations is independent of the somatic antigenic type of the challenging strain but is flagellar-antigen specific. These data suggest that vaccination with flagellar-antigen preparations may provide a viable prophylactic or therapeutic alternative to antibiotic therapy for use in compromised patient population in which P. aeruginosa poses a serious infection threat.