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Infection and Immunity, March 2006, p. 1745-1750, Vol. 74, No. 3
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/IAI.74.3.1745-1750.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Immunoprotection of Recombinant Leptospiral Immunoglobulin-Like Protein A against Leptospira interrogans Serovar Pomona Infection
Raghavan U. M. Palaniappan,1
Sean P. McDonough,1
Thomas J. Divers,1
Chia-Sui Chen,1
Ming-Jeng Pan,2
Mitsuharu Matsumoto,1 and
Yung-Fu Chang1*
College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853,1
Institute of Medical Biotechnology, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung, Taiwan2
Received 15 November 2005/
Accepted 2 December 2005
We previously reported the cloning and characterization of leptospiral immunoglobulin-like proteins LigA and LigB of Leptospira interrogans. LigA and LigB are conserved at the amino-terminal region but are variable at the carboxyl-terminal region. Here, we evaluate the potential of recombinant LigA (rLigA) as a vaccine candidate against infection by L. interrogans serovar Pomona in a hamster model. rLigA was truncated into conserved (rLigAcon) and variable (rLigAvar) regions and expressed in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein with glutathione-S-transferase (rLigA). Golden Syrian hamsters were immunized at 3 and 6 weeks of age with rLigA (rLigAcon and rLigAvar) with aluminum hydroxide as an adjuvant. Hamsters given recombinant glutathione-S-transferase (rGST)-adjuvant and phosphate-buffered saline-adjuvant served as nonvaccinated controls. Three weeks after the last vaccination, all animals were challenged intraperitoneally with 108 L. interrogans serovar Pomona bacteria (NVSL 1427-35-093002). All hamsters immunized with recombinant LigA survived after challenge and had no significant histopathological changes. In contrast, nonimmunized and rGST-immunized hamsters were subjected to lethal doses, and the hamsters that survived showed severe tubulointerstitial nephritis. All vaccinated animals showed a rise in antibody titers against rLigA. Results from this study indicate that rLigA is a potential vaccine candidate against L. interrogans serovar Pomona infection.
* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. Phone: (607) 253-3675. Fax: (607) 253-3943. E-mail:
yc42{at}cornell.edu.
Editor: D. L. Burns
Infection and Immunity, March 2006, p. 1745-1750, Vol. 74, No. 3
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0 doi:10.1128/IAI.74.3.1745-1750.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
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