Abstract
Three major fragments were generated by limited digestion of staphylococcal enterotoxins A (SEA) and E (SEE) with papain, whereas five major fragments were generated by limited digestion with staphylococcal protease V8 (V8). All of these fragments were detected by immunoblotting with polyclonal anti-SEA and -SEE sera. Some of generated fragments were detected by monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) with specificities for SEA (A-111 and A-211), SEE (E-142), or both (AE-32, AE-37, and AE-53). This indicates that fragments of SEA and SEE containing the type-specific and cross-reacting epitopes may be generated by digestion of the toxins with either papain or V8.
