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Infection and Immunity, November 2001, p. 6718-6724, Vol. 69, No. 11
Center for Immunology and Microbial Disease,
Albany Medical College, Albany, New York 12208,1
and Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at
Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 352942
Received 29 May 2001/Returned for modification 20 June
2001/Accepted 12 July 2001
Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major pathogen in humans
that enters the host primarily through the respiratory tract. Targeting mucosal surfaces directly may therefore be an optimal approach for
vaccination to prevent bacterial colonization and invasive disease. We
have previously demonstrated the effectiveness of interleukin-12
(IL-12) delivered intransally (i.n.) as an antiviral respiratory
adjuvant. In this study, we examined the effects of i.n. IL-12
treatment on induction of protective humoral immunity against S. pneumoniae. Immunization i.n. with pneumococcal surface protein A
(PspA) and IL-12 resulted in enhanced lung IL-10 mRNA expression and
marked augmentation of respiratory and systemic immunoglobulin G1
(IgG1), IgG2a, and IgA antibody levels compared to those in animals
receiving PspA alone. In addition, i.n. vaccination with PspA and IL-12
provided increased protection against nasopharyngeal carriage. Flow
cytometric analysis revealed a threefold increase in antibody-mediated,
complement-independent opsonic activity in the sera of PspA- and
IL-12-treated animals, which was mainly contributed by IgG2a and, to a
lesser extent, IgA. Passive transfer of these immune sera conferred
complete protection from death upon systemic pneumococcal challenge.
These findings demonstrate the effectiveness of combining PspA and
IL-12 at mucosal sites to achieve optimal antibody-mediated
opsonization and killing of S. pneumoniae.
0019-9567/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/IAI.69.11.6718-6724.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Intranasal Vaccination with Pneumococcal Surface
Protein A and Interleukin-12 Augments Antibody-Mediated
Opsonization and Protective Immunity against Streptococcus
pneumoniae Infection
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Center for
Immunology and Microbial Disease, Albany Medical College, 47 New
Scotland Ave., MC-151, Albany NY 12208. Phone: (518) 262-6263. Fax:
(518) 262-6053. E-mail: metzged{at}mail.amc.edu.
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