Abstract
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) causes the vast majority of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) in humans. S. aureus has become increasingly resistant to antibiotics and there is an urgent need for new strategies to tackle S. aureus infections. Vaccines offer a potential solution to this epidemic of antimicrobial resistance. However, the development of next generation efficacious anti-S. aureus vaccines necessitates a greater understanding of the protective immune response against S. aureus infection. In particular, it will be important to ascertain if distinct immune mechanisms are required to confer protection at distinct anatomical sites. Recent discoveries have highlighted that interleukin-17-producing T cells play a particularly important role in the immune response to S. aureus skin infection and suggest that vaccine strategies to specifically target these types of T cells may be beneficial in the treatment of S. aureus SSTIs. S. aureus expresses a large number of cell wall-anchored (CWA) proteins, which are covalently attached to the cell wall peptidoglycan. The virulence potential of many CWA proteins has been demonstrated in infection models; however, there is a paucity of information regarding their roles during SSTIs. In this review, we highlight potential candidate antigens for vaccines targeted at protection against SSTIs.
Highlights
Staphylococcus aureus Skin InfectionStaphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is one of the leading causes of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs)
Host Pathogen Interactions Group, School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Microbiology Department, Moyne Institute of Preventive Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Academic Editor: Lawrence S
Both IL-1 receptor (IL-1R) and Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR-2) signal through myeloid differentiation primary-response protein 88 (MyD88) to activate downstream signalling, which induces the nuclear factor-κB (NF- κB)
Summary
Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is one of the leading causes of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). AD-HIES results in impaired Th17 cell development, CD4+ T cells retain the ability to differentiate into other subsets of Th cells [13] These patients are not more susceptible to S. aureus bloodstream infection, suggesting that Th17 responses are important during skin and respiratory site infections, but may be less important during systemic infection. A recent study reports that Th1 cells play a crucial role in protection against systemic S. aureus infection in mice and are expanded in the circulating blood of patients recovering from S. aureus bloodstream infection [15] These studies highlight the concept that specific immune responses may be of greater importance at distinct sites of infection. If prophylactic vaccines or other forms of immunotherapy to treat S. aureus SSTIs are to be developed as an alternative to antibiotics, we need a greater understanding of the specific roles of individual virulence factors during infection at this site, as they may be important targets in future therapies
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