Antibodies against Staphylococcus aureus in nonimmunized rabbits

Cohen, Jay O. (Communicable Disease Center, Atlanta, Ga.), Glenda S. Cowart, and William B. Cherry. Antibodies against Staphylococcus aureus in nonimmunized rabbits. J. Bacteriol. 82:110-114. 1961.-Antibody against staphylococci was demonstrated in the serum of each of 36 nonimmunized specific-pathogen-free rabbits that were tested. Evidence obtained is in agreement with the proposition that two distinct staphylococcal antibodies are present in the sera from these nonimmunized rabbits. One is responsible for agglutination of Staphylococcus aureus Cowan serotype I, and the other for the formation of a reaction line observed in Ouchterlony plates with soluble antigens of both Cowan serotype I and Cowan serotype III. Fluorescent antibody reagent prepared from preimmune rabbit serum stained some strains of coagulase positive staphylococci, including Cowan's types I and III, and failed to stain any of 14 coagulase negative strains. The sera of rabbits obtained from a commercial source were shown to contain other antibodies for staphylococci in addition to the two found in the sera of specific-pathogen-free rabbits. The data suggested that rabbits from commercial sources have had contact with a great variety of antigens capable of stimulating staphylococcal antibody.Evidence demonstrated that normal rabbit serum from specific-pathogen-free animals of our colony could be used for differentiation of certain staphylococcal strains.