The invention provides a
nucleic acid encoding the 37-kDa
protein from
Streptococcus pneumoniae. Also provided are isolated nucleic acids comprising a unique fragment of at least 10 nucleotides of the 37-kDa
protein. The invention also provides purified polypeptides encoded by the
nucleic acid encoding the 37-kDa
protein from and the nucleic acids comprising a unique fragment of at least 10 nucleotides of the 37-kDa protein. Also provided are antibodies which selectively binds the polypeptides encoded by the
nucleic acid encoding the 37-kDa protein and the nucleic acids comprising a unique fragment of at least 10 nucleotides of the 37-kDa protein. Also provided are vaccines comprising immunogenic polypeptides encoded by the nucleic acid encoding the 37-kDa protein and the nucleic acids comprising a unique fragment of at least 10 nucleotides of the 37-kDa protein. Further provided is a method of detecting the presence of
Streptococcus pneumoniae in a sample comprising the steps of contacting a sample suspected of containing
Streptococcus pneumoniae with nucleic acid primers capable of hybridizing to a nucleic acid comprising a portion of the nucleic acid encoding the 37-kDa protein, amplifying the nucleic acid and detecting the presence of an amplification product, the presence of the amplification product indicating the presence of
Streptococcus pneumoniae in the sample. Further provided are methods of detecting the presence of
Streptococcus pneumoniae in a sample using antibodies or antigens, methods of preventing and treating
Streptococcus pneumoniae infection in a subject.