Due to noninvasive and inexpensive method of isolation, IgY antibodies extracted from chicken egg yolks represent an attractive alternative to widely used mammalian IgG antibodies. Avian IgYs are considered as valuable diagnostic tools since they lack reactivity with rheumatoid factor and human complement, which significantly reduces the number of false positive results often obtained in IgG-based serological assays. The aim of this study was to generate IgY antibodies that specifically recognize selected epitope of Efb protein produced exclusively by Staphylococcus aureus species. The selected epitope spanning residues 145–162 conjugated to KLH carrier protein was found as an efficient antigen allowing to generate peptide-specific IgY antibodies of high titer (5 µg/ml), high isolation yield (120 mg per egg yolk) and purity (85–95%). Developed Efb epitope-specific IgYs could potentially serve as an interesting diagnostic agent for the detection of Staphylococcus aureus infections.

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