Antibodies against a truncated Staphylococcus aureus fibronectin-binding protein protect against dissemination of infection in the rat

Staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia (SAB) originating from local infections can lead to severe secondary infections such as endocarditis. The protective effect of antibodies against secondary infections was studied in a rat model, where a local joint infection leads to bacteraemia and endocarditis on damaged aortic valves. In this study, immunizations with a truncated D2-domain of the S. aureus fibronectin-binding protein displayed on a cow-pea mosaic virus (CPMV-D) carrier induced protection against endocarditis ( P