Toxicity of recombinant toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 and mutant toxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus in a rabbit infection model of toxic shock syndrome.

Menstrually associated toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is attributed primarily to the effects of staphylococcal exotoxin toxic shock syndrome toxin 1 (TSST-1). A region of the 194-amino-acid toxin spanning residues 115 through 144 constitutes a biologically active site. Several point mutations in the TSST-1 gene in that region result in gene products with reduced mitogenic activity for murine T cells. In this study we evaluated the toxicity of recombinant TSST-1 and several mutants of TSST-1 made by transformed Staphylococcus aureus during in vivo growth in a rabbit infection model of TSS. The toxicities of the transformed strains of S. aureus for rabbits correlated with the mitogenic activities of the recombinant toxins. An isolate originally obtained from a patient with a confirmed case of TSS (S. aureus 587) implanted in a subcutaneous chamber served as a positive control. TSST-1 produced in vivo led to lethal shock within 48 h, and a TSST-1-neutralizing antibody (monoclonal antibody 8-5-7) administered to rabbits challenged with S. aureus 587 prevented fatal illness. Rabbits infected with transformed S. aureus RN4220 expressing wild-type toxin (p17) or mutant toxins retaining mitogenic activity for T cells succumbed within a similar time frame. Blood chemistries of samples obtained from infected animals before death indicated abnormalities in renal and hepatic functions similar to those induced by parenteral injection of purified staphylococcal TSST-1. Mutant toxin 135 (histidine modified to alanine at residue 135) possessed only 5 to 10% of the mitogenic activity of wild-type toxin. Rabbits challenged with transformed S. aureus RN4220 expressing mutant toxin 135 exhibited only mild transient illness. Mutant toxin 135 retained reactivity with monoclonal antibody 8-5-7 and by several criteria was conformationally intact. Toxin from a double mutant, 141.144, with alanine substitutions at residues 141 (histidine) and 144 (tyrosine), also was devoid of mitogenic activity. In this case, antibody recognition was lost. Mutant toxins 115 and 141 were found to possess approximately half-maximal mitogenic activity. Rabbits challenged with S. aureus RN4220 expressing either 115 or 141 toxin succumbed to lethal shock. We conclude that the ability of TSST-1 to activate murine T cells in vitro and its expression of toxicity leading to lethal shock in rabbits are related phenomena.