Acute and long-term humoral immunity following active immunization of rabbits with inacctivated spores of various Encephalitozoon species |
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| Authors: | Ingo Sobottka Franz Iglauer Thomas Schüler Christel Schmetz Govinda S Visvesvara Helmut Albrecht David A Schwartz Norman J Pieniazek Katrin Bartscht Rainer Laufs Justus Schottelius |
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| Institution: | (1) Institute of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University Hospital Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany e-mail: sobottka@uke.uni-hamburg.de Tel.: +49-40-428033157; Fax: +49-40-428034881, DE;(2) Laboratory Animal Facility, University Hospital Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany, DE;(3) Laboratory Animal Facility, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany, DE;(4) Department of Parasitology, Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, Germany, DE;(5) Division of Parasitic Diseases, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, US;(6) Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, US;(7) Department of Pathology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, US |
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| Abstract: | Microsporidia of the genus Encephalitozoon are increasingly being reported as a cause of severe, often disseminated infections, mainly in patients with acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome (AIDS). Immunological identification of each of the three recognized species (E. cuniculi, E. hellem, and E. intestinalis) requires the availability of specific immune sera. All sera available thus far have been generated by direct inoculation
of rabbits with virulent microsporidian spores. This study demonstrates for the first time that subcutaneous immunization
with inactivated spores of E. cuniculi, E. hellem, or E. intestinalis is capable of generating highly active rabbit hyperimmune sera to the homologous antigens, with maximal titers being 1:5,120,
1:1,280, and 1:2,560, respectively, as determined by the indirect immunofluorescence technique (IIF). Broad cross-reactivity
of the rabbit antisera with all heterologous Encephalitozoon antigens was determined by IIF and immunogold electron microscopy; however, only the E. hellem immune serum strongly cross-reacted with spores of Enterocytozoon bieneusi. During the 35-month follow-up period the antibody titers to the homologous antigens declined to 1:640, 1:160, and 1:320,
respectively. The observed decay curves for antibody titers against E. cuniculi, E. hellem, and E. intestinalis were fitted using mathematical modeling, resulting in a predicted duration for specific immune responses of about 7 years
on average. Knowledge of the magnitude and duration of specific immune responses is a prerequisite for further evaluation
of the concept of using inactivated microsporidian spores in the quest for vaccines against microsporidian infections.
Received: 10 April 2000 / Accepted: 18 July 2000 |
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