A method and composition for the passive immunization of patients infected with
or susceptible to infection from Staphylococcus bacteria such as S. aureus
and S. epidermidis infection is provided that includes the selection
or preparation of a donor plasma pool with high antibody titers to carefully selected
Staphylococcus adhesins or MSCRAMMs, or fragments or components thereof,
or sequences with substantial homology thereto. The donor plasma pool can be prepared
by combining individual blood or blood component samples which have higher than
normal titers of antibodies to one or more of the selected adhesins or other proteins
that bind to extracellular matrix proteins, or by administering carefully selected
proteins or peptides to a host to induce the expression of desired antibodies,
and subsequently recovering the enhanced high titer serum or plasma pool from the
treated host. In either case, the donor plasma pool is preferably purified and
concentrated prior to intravenous introduction into the patient, and the present
invention is advantageous in that a patient can be immunized against a wide variety
of potentially dangerous staphylococcal infections. Kits for identifying potential
donor with high titers of the selected adhesins are also provided. The present
invention thus provides methods and compositions which can be highly effective
against infections associated with Staphylococcus bacteria.