Optimized immune response elicited by a DNA vaccine expressing pneumococcal surface protein a is characterized by a balanced immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1)/IgG2a ratio and proinflammatory cytokine production

We have previously shown that DNA immunization with PspA (pneumococcal surface protein A) DNA is able to elicit protection comparable to that elicited by immunization with PspA protein (with alum as adjuvant), even though the antibody levels elicited by DNA immunization are lower than those elicited by immunization with the protein. This work aims at characterizing the ability of sera to bind to the pneumococcal surface and to mediate complement deposition, using BALB/c wild-type and interleukin-4 knockout mice. We observed that higher anti-PspA levels correlated with intense antibody binding to the pneumococcal surface, while elevated complement deposition was observed with sera that presented balanced immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1)/IgG2a ratios, such as those from DNA-immunized mice. Furthermore, we demonstrated that gamma interferon and tumor necrosis factor alpha were strongly induced after intraperitoneal pneumococcal challenge only in mice immunized with the DNA vaccine. We therefore postulate that although both DNA and recombinant protein immunizations are able to protect mice against intraperitoneal pneumococcal challenge, an optimized response would be achieved by using a DNA vaccine and other strategies capable of inducing balanced Th1/Th2 responses.     

Intranasal vaccination with chitosan-DNA nanoparticles expressing pneumococcal surface antigen a protects mice against nasopharyngeal colonization by Streptococcus pneumoniae

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a respiratory pathogen, and mucosal immune response plays a significant role in the defense against pneumococcal infections. Thus, intranasal vaccination may be an alternative approach to current immunization strategies, and effective delivery systems to mucosal organism are necessary. In this study, BALB/c mice were immunized intranasally with chitosan-DNA nanoparticles expressing pneumococcal surface antigen A (PsaA). Compared to levels in mice immunized with naked DNA or chitosan-pVAX1, anti-PsaA IgG antibody in serum and anti-IgA antibody in mucosal lavages were elevated significantly in mice immunized with chitosan-psaA. The balanced IgG1/IgG2a antibody ratio in serum, enhanced gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and IL-17A levels in spleen lymphocytes, and mucosal washes of mice immunized with chitosan-psaA suggested that cellular immune responses were induced. Furthermore, significantly fewer pneumococci were recovered from the nasopharynx of mice immunized with chitosan-psaA than for the control group following intranasal challenge with ATCC 6303 (serotype 3). These results demonstrated that mucosal immunization with chitosan-psaA may successfully generate mucosal and systemic immune responses and prevent pneumococcal nasopharyngeal colonization. Hence, a chitosan-DNA nanoparticle vaccine expressing pneumococcal major immunodominant antigens after intranasal administration could be developed to prevent pneumococcal infections.     

Immune responses to recombinant pneumococcal PspA antigen delivered by live attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium vaccine

Attenuated Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium expressing recombinant antigens from other pathogens elicits primarily a Th1-type dominant immune response to both recombinant and Salmonella antigens. The immunogenicity and appropriate subcellular location of the recombinant antigen in the Salmonella vaccine strain may contribute to augmenting immune responses by facilitating adequate exposure of recombinant antigen to antigen-presenting cells for processing. To allow for secretion from gram-negative bacteria and overexpression of antigen, a DNA fragment encoding a highly antigenic alpha-helical region of PspA (pneumococcal surface protein A) was subcloned downstream from the beta-lactamase signal sequence in the multicopy Asd(+) pYA3493 vector to create pYA3494. pYA3493 was derived from a class of Asd(+) vectors with reduced expression of Asd to minimize selective disadvantage and enhance immunization of expressed recombinant antigens. The S. enterica serovar Typhimurium vaccine strain was constructed by the introduction of deletion mutations Delta crp-28 and Delta asdA16. Approximately 50% of the recombinant PspA (rPspA) expressed in a Salmonella strain harboring pYA3494 was detected in the combined supernatant and periplasmic fractions of broth-grown recombinant SALMONELLA: After a single oral immunization in BALB/c mice with 10(9) CFU of the recombinant Salmonella vaccine strain carrying pYA3494, immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody responses were stimulated to both the heterologous antigen rPspA and Salmonella lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and outer membrane proteins (OMPs). About half, and even more at later times after immunization, of the antibodies induced to rPspA were IgG1 (indicating a Th2-type response), whereas 60 to 70% of the antibodies to LPS and 80 to 90% of those to OMPs were IgG2a (indicating a Th1-type response). A sublethal infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae WU2 boosted PspA antibody levels and maintained IgG2a/IgG1 ratios similar to those seen before the challenge. Oral immunization with Salmonella-PspA vaccine protected 60% of immunized mice from death after intraperitoneal challenge with 50 times the 50% lethal dose of virulent S. pneumoniae WU2.     

Genetic immunization with the region encoding the alpha-helical domain of PspA elicits protective immunity against Streptococcus pneumoniae

Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) is a pneumococcal virulence factor capable of eliciting protection against pneumococcal infection in mice. Previous studies have demonstrated that the protection is antibody mediated. Here we examined the ability of pspA to elicit a protective immune response following genetic immunization of mice. Mice were immunized by intramuscular injections with a eukaryotic expression vector encoding the alpha-helical domain of PspA/Rx1. Immunization induced a PspA-specific serum antibody response, and immunized mice survived pneumococcal challenge. Survival and antibody responses occurred in a dose-dependent manner, the highest survival rates being seen with doses of 10 microg or greater. The ability of genetic immunization to elicit cross-protection was demonstrated by the survival of immunized mice challenged with pneumococcal strains differing in capsule and PspA types. Also, immunized mice were protected from intravenous and intratracheal challenges with pneumococci. Similar to the results seen with immunization with PspA, the survival of mice genetically immunized with pspA was antibody mediated. There was no decline in the level of protection 7 months after immunization. These results support the use of genetic immunization to elicit protective immune responses against extracellular pathogens.     

Antibody Responses in the Lower Respiratory Tract and Male Urogenital Tract in Humans after Nasal and Oral Vaccination with Cholera Toxin B Subunit

Nasal vaccine delivery is superior to oral delivery in inducing specific immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgG antibody responses in the upper respiratory tract. Although an antibody response in the nasal passages is important in protecting against primary colonization with lung pathogens, antibodies in the lungs are usually required as well. We immunized 15 male volunteers twice nasally or orally with cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) and determined the specific antibody levels in serum, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid, and urine before and 2 weeks after immunization. Nasal immunization induced fivefold increases in the levels of specific IgA antibodies in BAL fluid of most volunteers, whereas there were no significant specific IgA responses after oral immunization. The specific IgG antibody level increased eightfold in BAL fluid in the nasally vaccinated subjects, and the major part of IgG had most probably been transferred from serum. Since the specific IgG response in serum was lower in the individuals vaccinated orally, the IgG response in BAL fluid in this group was also lower and not significant. In conclusion, nasal immunization is also preferable to the oral route when vaccinating against lower respiratory tract infections, and a systemic immune response is considerably more important in the lower than in the upper respiratory tract. Moreover, both nasal and oral immunizations were able to stimulate 6- to 10-fold specific IgA and IgG responses in urine in about half of the individuals, which indicates that distant mucosal vaccination might be used to prevent adhesion of pathogens to the urogenital tract.     

Protection of mice against brucellosis by intranasal immunization with Brucella melitensis lipopolysaccharide as a noncovalent complex with Neisseria meningitidis group B outer membrane protein

Intranasal immunization of mice with purified Brucella melitensis lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a noncovalent complex with Neisseria meningitidis group B outer membrane protein (GBOMP) elicited a high-titer anti-LPS systemic antibody response and a significant mucosal antibody response. The anti-LPS immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody was predominantly of the IgG1 subtype, although there was some response of the IgG2a, IgG2b, and IgG3 subtypes. The antibody titer remained high for 16 weeks postimmunization. Immunized mice and sham-immunized control mice were challenged intranasally with 10(4) CFU of virulent B. melitensis strain 16 M 4 weeks after the second dose of vaccine. The numbers of bacteria in lungs, livers, and spleens at 3 days, 9 days, and 8 weeks postchallenge were determined. Bacteria were found in lungs of all mice on day 3, but there was no disseminated infection of liver or spleen. By day 9, 40% of the mice had infected spleens and livers. At 8 weeks postchallenge, spleens of 25 of 62 immunized mice were infected, compared to 61 of 62 control mice (P < 0.0001). The livers of 12 of 43 immunized mice were infected, compared to 22 of 36 control mice (P = 0.005). In contrast, the lungs of 26 of 46 immunized mice were still infected, compared to 27 of 44 control mice. The numbers of bacterial CFU in lungs of immunized and control animals were identical. These studies show that intranasal immunization with B. melitensis LPS-GBOMP subunit vaccine significantly protects mice against intranasal challenge with virulent B. melitensis. Vaccination reduces bacterial dissemination to spleen and liver but has no effect on the course of lung infection.     

Enhanced Protective Antibody Responses to PspA after Intranasal or Subcutaneous Injections of PspA Genetically Fused to Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor or Interleukin-2

Antibody to pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) has been shown to be protective for Streptococcus pneumoniae infections in mice. In an attempt to define a model for inducing protective antibody to PspA in the absence of adjuvant, we designed two genetic fusions, PspA–interleukin-2 [IL-2]) and PspA–granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). These constructs maintained high cytokine function in vitro, as tested by their activity on IL-2 or GM-CSF-dependent cell lines. While intranasal immunization with PspA induced no detectable anti-PspA response, both PspA–IL-2 and PspA–GM-CSF stimulated high immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) antibody responses. Interestingly, only the PspA–IL-2, not the PspA–GM-CSF, construct stimulated IgG2a antibody responses, suggesting that this construct directed the response along a TH1-dependent pathway. Comparable enhancement of the anti-PspA response with similar isotype profiles was observed after subcutaneous immunization as well. The enhancement observed with PspA–IL-2 was dependent on IL-2 activity in that it was not seen in IL-2 receptor knockout mice, while PspA in alum induced high-titer antibody in these mice. The antibody was tested for its protective activity in a mouse lethality model using S. pneumoniae WU-R2. Passive transfer of 1:90 dilutions of sera from mice immunized with PspA–IL-2 and PspA–GM-CSF elicited protection of CBA/N mice against intravenous challenge with over 170 50% lethal doses of capsular type 3 strain WU2. Only 0.17 μg or less of IgG antibody to PspA was able to provide passive protection against otherwise fatal challenge with S. pneumoniae. The data demonstrate that designing protein-cytokine fusions may be a useful approach for mucosal immunization and can induce high-titer systemic protective antibody responses.     

Novel Strategy To Protect against Influenza Virus-Induced Pneumococcal Disease without Interfering with Commensal Colonization

Streptococcus pneumoniae commonly inhabits the nasopharynx as a member of the commensal biofilm. Infection with respiratory viruses, such as influenza A virus, induces commensal S. pneumoniae to disseminate beyond the nasopharynx and to elicit severe infections of the middle ears, lungs, and blood that are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Current preventive strategies, including the polysaccharide conjugate vaccines, aim to eliminate asymptomatic carriage with vaccine-type pneumococci. However, this has resulted in serotype replacement with, so far, less fit pneumococcal strains, which has changed the nasopharyngeal flora, opening the niche for entry of other virulent pathogens (e.g., Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and potentially Haemophilus influenzae). The long-term effects of these changes are unknown. Here, we present an attractive, alternative preventive approach where we subvert virus-induced pneumococcal disease without interfering with commensal colonization, thus specifically targeting disease-causing organisms. In that regard, pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA), a major surface protein of pneumococci, is a promising vaccine target. Intradermal (i.d.) immunization of mice with recombinant PspA in combination with LT-IIb(T13I), a novel i.d. adjuvant of the type II heat-labile enterotoxin family, elicited strong systemic PspA-specific IgG responses without inducing mucosal anti-PspA IgA responses. This response protected mice from otitis media, pneumonia, and septicemia and averted the cytokine storm associated with septic infection but had no effect on asymptomatic colonization. Our results firmly demonstrated that this immunization strategy against virally induced pneumococcal disease can be conferred without disturbing the desirable preexisting commensal colonization of the nasopharynx.     

The nasal dendritic cell-targeting Flt3 ligand as a safe adjuvant elicits effective protection against fatal pneumococcal pneumonia

We have previously shown that a pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA)-based vaccine containing DNA plasmid encoding the Flt3 ligand (FL) gene (pFL) as a nasal adjuvant prevented nasal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae. In this study, we further investigated the safety and efficacy of this nasal vaccine for the induction of PspA-specific antibody (Ab) responses against lung infection with S. pneumoniae. C57BL/6 mice were nasally immunized with recombinant PspA/Rx1 (rPspA) plus pFL three times at weekly intervals. When dynamic translocation of pFL was initially examined, nasal pFL was taken up by nasal dendritic cells (DCs) and epithelial cells (nECs) but not in the central nervous systems, including olfactory nerve and epithelium. Of importance, nasal pFL induced FL protein synthesis with minimum levels of inflammatory cytokines in the nasal washes (NWs) and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). NWs and BALF as well as plasma of mice given nasal rPspA plus pFL contained increased levels of rPspA-specific secretory IgA and IgG Ab responses that were correlated with elevated numbers of CD8(+) and CD11b(+) DCs and interleukin 2 (IL-2)- and IL-4-producing CD4(+) T cells in the nasal mucosa-associated lymphoid tissues (NALT) and cervical lymph nodes (CLNs). The in vivo protection by rPspA-specific Abs was evident in markedly reduced numbers of CFU in the lungs, airway secretions, and blood when mice were nasally challenged with Streptococcus pneumoniae WU2. Our findings show that nasal pFL is a safe and effective mucosal adjuvant for the enhancement of bacterial antigen (Ag) (rPspA)-specific protective immunity through DC-induced Th2-type and IL-2 cytokine responses.     

两株双价痢疾工程菌苗不同粘膜免疫途径的免疫原性

目的探讨免疫途径、接种剂量及侵袭蛋白表达对两株双价痢疾工程菌苗免疫效果的影响。方法小鼠分为滴鼻、灌胃和对照组 ,分别以不同剂量免疫 3次 ,间隔 2周 ,3次免疫后 7d收集血清、小肠、鼻咽、肺、阴道冲洗液 ,EL ISA法检测其中特异性福氏、宋内氏 L PS- Ig A和 Ig G。结果 4× 10 7CFU菌苗经鼻途径免疫即可诱导多个粘膜部位以及血清双价特异性抗体显著增高 ;菌苗剂量增加 2 0、2 0 0倍时经灌胃免疫诱发较为局限的粘膜特异性抗体增高。结论鼻粘膜免疫不仅诱导多个粘膜部位 (特别是生殖道 )以及系统免疫的抗体反应 ,是一个安全有效的免疫途径。     

Tc52 Amino-Terminal-Domain DNA Carried by Attenuated Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Induces Protection against a Trypanosoma cruzi Lethal Challenge

In this work we immunized mice with DNA encoding full-length Tc52 or its amino- or carboxy-terminal (N- and C-term, respectively) domain carried by attenuated Salmonella as a DNA delivery system. As expected, Salmonella-mediated DNA delivery resulted in low antibody titers and a predominantly Th1 response, as shown by the ratio of IgG2a/IgG1-specific antibodies. Despite modest expression of Tc52 in trypomastigotes, the antibodies elicited by vaccination were able to mediate lysis of the trypomastigotes in the presence of complement and inhibit their invasion of mammal cells in vitro. The strongest functional activity was observed with sera from mice immunized with Salmonella carrying the N-term domain (SN-term), followed by Tc52 (STc52), and the C-term domain (SC-term). All immunized groups developed strong cellular responses, with predominant activation of Th1 cells. However, mice immunized with SN-term showed higher levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10), counterbalancing the inflammatory reaction, and also strong activation of Tc52-specific gamma interferon-positive (IFN-γ⁺) CD8⁺ T cells. In agreement with this, although all prototypes conferred protection against infection, immunization with SN-term promoted greater protection than that with SC-term for all parameters tested and slightly better protection than that with STc52, especially in the acute stage of infection. We conclude that the N-terminal domain of Tc52 is the section of the protein that confers maximal protection against infection and propose it as a promising candidate for vaccine development.     

Comparison of antibody- and cell-mediated immune responses after intramuscular hepatitis C immunizations of BALB/c mice

Current treatments for hepatitis C infection have limited efficacy, and there is no vaccine available. The goal of this study was to compare the immune response to several immunization combinations against hepatitis C virus (HCV). Six groups of mice were immunized at weeks 0, 4, and 8 with different combinations of a candidate HCV vaccine consisting of 100 microg recombinant HCV core/E1/E2 (rHCV) DNA plasmid and/or 25 microg rHCV polyprotein and 50 microL Montanide ISA- 51. Four weeks after the last injection, all groups of mice were sacrificed and blood samples and spleens were collected for measuring the levels of specific HCV antibodies (total IgG, IgG1, and IgG2a). Cell proliferation and intracellular interferon-gamma were also measured. Among the groups of immunized mice, only the mice immunized with rHCV DNA plasmid, rHCV polyprotein, and montanide (group D) and mice immunized with rHCV polyprotein and montanide (group F) demonstrated a significant increase in the total IgG titer after immunization. IgG1 was the predominant antibody detected in both groups D and F. No IgG2a was detected in any of the groups. Proliferation assays demonstrated that splenocytes from group D and group C (rHCV DNA primed/rHCV polyprotein boost) developed significant anti-HCV proliferative responses. The combination of an rHCV DNA plasmid, rHCV polyprotein, and montanide induced a high antibody titer with a predominance of IgG1 antibodies and recognized the major neutralization epitopes in HVR1. In contrast, group C did not show an increase in anti-HCV antibodies, but did show a proliferative response.     

Immunization with Staphylococcus aureus clumping factor B, a major determinant in nasal carriage, reduces nasal colonization in a murine model

Staphylococcus aureus is responsible for a wide range of infections, including soft tissue infections and potentially fatal bacteremias. The primary niche for S. aureus in humans is the nares, and nasal carriage is a documented risk factor for staphylococcal infection. Previous studies with rodent models of nasal colonization have implicated capsule and teichoic acid as staphylococcal surface factors that promote colonization. In this study, a mouse model of nasal colonization was utilized to demonstrate that S. aureus mutants that lack clumping factor A, collagen binding protein, fibronectin binding proteins A and B, polysaccharide intercellular adhesin, or the accessory gene regulator colonized as well as wild-type strains colonized. In contrast, mutants deficient in sortase A or clumping factor B (ClfB) showed reduced nasal colonization. Mice immunized intranasally with killed S. aureus cells showed reduced nasal colonization compared with control animals. Likewise, mice that were immunized systemically or intranasally with a recombinant vaccine composed of domain A of ClfB exhibited lower levels of colonization than control animals exhibited. A ClfB monoclonal antibody (MAb) inhibited S. aureus binding to mouse cytokeratin 10. Passive immunization of mice with this MAb resulted in reduced nasal colonization compared with the colonization observed after immunization with an isotype-matched control antibody. The mouse immunization studies demonstrate that ClfB is an attractive component for inclusion in a vaccine to reduce S. aureus nasal colonization in humans, which in turn may diminish the risk of staphylococcal infection. As targets for vaccine development and antimicrobial intervention are assessed, rodent nasal colonization models may be invaluable.     

DNA-Based immunization with Trypanosoma cruzi complement regulatory protein elicits complement lytic antibodies and confers protection against Trypanosoma cruzi infection

A complement regulatory protein (CRP) of Trypanosoma cruzi was evaluated as a vaccine candidate in a murine model of experimental T. cruzi infection. Recombinant CRP derived from an Escherichia coli expression system and a plasmid encoding the full-length crp structural gene under the control of a eukaryotic promoter were used to immunize BALB/c mice. Immunization with both protein and DNA vaccines resulted in a Th1-type T-cell response, comparable antibody titers, and similar immunoglobulin G isotype profiles. Only mice immunized with the crp DNA plasmid produced antibodies capable of lysing the parasites in the presence of complement and were protected against a lethal challenge with T. cruzi trypomastigotes. These results demonstrate the superiority of DNA immunization over protein immunization with the recombinant CRP. The work also supports the further investigation of CRP as a component of a multigene, anti-T. cruzi DNA vaccine.     

A pneumococcal vaccine combination with two proteins containing PspA families 1 and 2 can potentially protect against a wide range of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Streptococcus pneumoniae</Emphasis> strains

Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important pathogen accounting for a large number of deaths worldwide. Despite the multitude of capsular polysaccharide vaccines used to guard against pneumococcal disease, fatal pneumococcal disease remains epidemic due to the narrow range of protection afforded by the capsular polysaccharide vaccines and rate of change in serotypes. The most promising solution is to develop an improved protein-based vaccine with broad protection. In this study, we tested a bivalent vaccine containing antigens mixed with the fusion protein PsaA-pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA)23 and single protein PspA4, including conserved PsaA and PspA from clades 2, 3, and 4 with coverage for families 1 and 2. The vaccine induced a significant increase of anti-PspA IgG, which demonstrated cross-reactivity with the 22 different S. pneumoniae strains from serotypes contained in PPV23 by Western blot. The wide ranging protection was determined by challenging mice with S. pneumoniae from PspA clades 1 to 5. Bacterial loads in the blood and lung and survival rate after challenge were measured. After immunization, the number of bacteria in mice was significantly reduced. The clearance rates with all strains were greater than 90% in the lung, and bacterial loads in the blood were decreased to lower than 10 CFU/ml. The survival rates in immunized animals also were greatly increased (all over 50%) compared with controls. Therefore, this bivalent PspA vaccine may be a good substitute for capsular polysaccharide vaccines.     

Intranasal Immunization with Heat-Inactivated Streptococcus pneumoniae Protects Mice against Systemic Pneumococcal Infection

In order to study the mucosal and serum antibody response to polysaccharide-encapsulated bacteria in mice, a preparation of heat-inactivated Streptococcus pneumoniae type 4 was administered, with and without cholera toxin, at various mucosal sites. It appeared that intranasal immunization of nonanesthesized animals was superior to either oral, gastric, or colonic-rectal antigen delivery with regard to the induction of serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgA, as well as saliva IgA antibodies specific for pneumococci. The marked IgA antibody response in feces after intranasal, but not after oral or gastric, immunization is suggestive of a cellular link between the nasal induction site and the distant mucosal effector sites. Intranasal immunization also induced antibodies in serum and in mucosal secretions against type-specific capsular polysaccharide. IgA and IgG antibody levels in pulmonary lavage fluids correlated well with saliva IgA and serum IgG antibodies, respectively. Antibody determinations in pulmonary secretions may therefore be redundant in some cases, and the number of experimental animals may be reduced accordingly. After intraperitoneal challenge with type 4 pneumococci, mice immunized intranasally were protected against both systemic infection and death, even without the use of cholera toxin as a mucosal adjuvant. Thus, an efficient intranasal vaccine against invasive pneumococcal disease may be based on a very simple formulation with whole killed pneumococci.     

Induction of protective serum meningococcal bactericidal and diphtheria-neutralizing antibodies and mucosal immunoglobulin A in volunteers by nasal insufflations of the Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C polysaccharide-CRM197 conjugate vaccine mixed with chitosan

Thirty-six healthy volunteers received either a single intramuscular injection of Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C polysaccharide (MCP)-CRM197 conjugate vaccine in alum or two nasal insufflations 28 days apart of the same vaccine powder, without alum, mixed with chitosan. Nasal immunization was well tolerated, with fewer symptoms reported than after intramuscular injection. The geometric mean concentrations of MCP-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) after one nasal immunization were 3.25 microg/ml in na?ve subjects and 14.4 microg/ml in subjects previously immunized parenterally, compared with 4.30 microg/ml in na?ve subjects immunized intramuscularly. The geometric mean titer of serum bactericidal antibody (SBA) rose 24-fold after two nasal immunizations in na?ve subjects and was comparable to parenteral immunization (1,080 versus 1,625). All subjects achieved SBA titers associated with protection after two nasal immunizations: even those with titers of <8 at entry. A single nasal immunization boosted the SBA titer to > or =128 in 96% of previously immunized subjects, and two immunizations achieved this level in 92% of naive subjects. MCP-specific IgG levels were approximately 70% IgG2 and approximately 20% IgG1 after nasal or intramuscular immunization. Increases in CRM197-specific IgG and diphtheria toxin-neutralizing activity were observed after nasal or intramuscular immunization, with balanced IgG1/IgG2 and higher IgG4. Significant MCP-specific secretory IgA was detected in nasal wash only after nasal immunization and predominantly on the immunized side. Simple nasal insufflation of existing MCP-CRM197 conjugate vaccines in chitosan offers an inexpensive but effective needle-free prime and boost against serogroup C N. meningitidis and diphtheria.     

甲型肝炎减毒活疫苗及灭活疫苗灌胃免疫小鼠后的抗体应答

目的 :测定甲肝减毒活疫苗及灭活疫苗灌胃免疫小鼠后的抗体应答效应。方法 :将活或灭活的甲肝疫苗加或不加明胶 ,经胃免疫小鼠 ,于末次免疫后 2w取血清及肠液 ,用间接ELISA法分别检测其中的特异性IgG和IgA抗体水平 ,并与空白及肌注组比较。结果 :实验组特异抗体水平明显高于肌注组 (P <0 0 1) ;加明胶组的免疫效果较不加者好 (IgG :P <0 0 0 1,IgA :P <0 0 5 )。结论 :甲肝活疫苗及灭活疫苗经消化道免疫小鼠后 ,均可诱导全身及局部的抗体应答 ;明胶有增强抗体产生的作用 ,可作为一种安全、廉价的粘膜佐剂被进一步开发与利用。     

Studies on antibody responses following neonatal immunization with influenza hemagglutinin DNA or protein.

Neonatal mice have immature immune systems with defects in several components of inflammatory, innate, and specific immune responses and develop a preferential T helper type 2 response following immunization with many vaccine antigens. These studies were undertaken to determine whether 1-day-old neonatal mice immunized with plasmid DNA expressing influenza A/PR/8/34 hemagglutinin (H1) by either intramuscular (im) or gene gun (gg) inoculation were capable of generating humoral responses comparable to those in mice immunized as adults. The newborn mice developed stable, long-lived, protective anti-H1-specific IgG responses similar in titer to those of adult DNA-immunized mice. However, unlike the adult im and gg DNA immunizations, which develop polarized IgG2a and IgG1 responses, respectively, mice immunized as neonates developed a variety of IgG1, IgG2a, and mixed IgG1/IgG2a responses regardless of the inoculation method. Boosting increased but did not change these antibody profiles. In contrast to the DNA immunizations, inoculations of newborn mice with an A/PR/8/34 viral protein subunit preparation failed to elicit an antibody response. Temporal studies revealed that both responsiveness to protein vaccination and development of polarized patterns of T help following DNA immunization appeared by 2 weeks of age.