This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Richter, M. Y.
Right arrow Articles by Jonsdottir, I.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Richter, M. Y.
Right arrow Articles by Jonsdottir, I.
Right arrowPubmed/NCBI databases
*Substance via MeSH

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, February 2005, p. 956-964, Vol. 73, No. 2
0019-9567/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.73.2.956-964.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Protective Levels of Polysaccharide-Specific Maternal Antibodies May Enhance the Immune Response Elicited by Pneumococcal Conjugates in Neonatal and Infant Mice

Margret Y. Richter,1 Havard Jakobsen,1 Jean-François Haeuw,2 Ultan F. Power,2,{dagger} and Ingileif Jonsdottir1,3*

Department of Immunology, Landspitali-University Hospital,1 Faculty of Medicine, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland,3 Centre d'Immunologie Pierre Fabre, St. Julien en Genevois, France2

Received 6 April 2004/ Returned for modification 3 June 2004/ Accepted 6 October 2004

Maternal antibodies (MatAbs) may protect the offspring against infections but may also interfere with their immune responses to vaccination. We have previously shown that maternal immunization with pneumococcal polysaccharides (PPS) conjugated to tetanus protein (Pnc-TT) protected the offspring against infections caused by three important pediatric serotypes. To study the influence of MatAb on the immune response to Pnc-TT early in life, adult female mice were immunized twice with Pnc-TT of serotype 1 (Pnc1-TT), and their offspring received Pnc1-TT subcutaneously three times at 3-week intervals starting at 1 week (neonatal) or 3 weeks (infant) of age. High levels of PPS-1-specific MatAb (>3 log) in offspring of Pnc1-TT-immunized dams completely inhibited their anti-PPS-1 response elicited by Pnc1-TT. In contrast, low or moderate (~1 to 2 log) levels of MatAb did not interfere with and even enhanced the immune response of the offspring, and a booster response to a second Pnc1-TT dose was observed. Carrier-specific MatAbs had little effect on the response of offspring to the conjugate. All Pnc1-TT-immunized offspring were protected against pneumococcal bacteremia and had reduced lung infection. These results demonstrate that in the presence of MatAb, Pnc1-TT may elicit a protective PPS-1-specific antibody response and prime for PPS-1-specific memory in young offspring. Importantly, low or moderate levels of PPS-1-specific MatAb not only provided protection against pneumococcal infections but also enhanced the immune response elicited by Pnc1-TT in neonatal and infant mice. This murine model will be used to develop novel strategies combining maternal and neonatal immunization to protect against infections caused by encapsulated bacteria in early life.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Immunology, Landspitali-University Hospital, Hringbraut, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland. Phone: 354-543 5812. Fax: 354-543 4828. E-mail: ingileif{at}landspitali.is.

Editor: J. N. Weiser

{dagger} Present address: Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.

Infection and Immunity, February 2005, p. 956-964, Vol. 73, No. 2
0019-9567/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.73.2.956-964.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»