LAUSR

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of community-acquired, healthcare-associated, and hospital-acquired infections. S. aureus bacteremia is a common and serious infection with significant morbidity and mortality in older patients. The rise of antibiotic-resistant strains of S. aureus has resulted in substantial loss and effective treatment in hospitalized patients. Thus, there is a need in the development of a vaccine that would provide protection against S. aureus. The antigens of our interest include proteins that are essential for bacterial attachment and colonization (ClfA and ClfB), dermonecrosis-driven toxin (Hla), antigens that are essential for abscess formation (EsxA and EsxB), and antigens that are essential for nutrient acquisition and resistance to phagocytes killing induced by reactive oxygen species (FhuD2 and MntC). Development of a structure-based vaccine based on the antigenic protein epitopes is a novel strategy to provide protection against S. aureus. Using bioinformatic tools, we have determined the B-cell and T-cell epitopes of the antigenic proteins of S. aureus. This chapter reports identification of B-cell and T-cell epitopes of the antigenic protein that could be used in the development of effective structure-based vaccines to protect against S. aureus.