vaccine
Microbial Immunity and VaccinesVaccination against Clostridium difficile by Use of an Attenuated Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Vector (YS1646) Protects Mice from Lethal ChallengeClostridium difficile disease is mediated primarily by toxins A and B (TcdA and TcdB, respectively). The receptor binding domains (RBD) of TcdA and TcdB are immunogenic, and anti-RBD antibodies are protective. Since these toxins act locally, an optimal C. difficile vaccine would generate both...
Microbial Immunity and VaccinesImmunizations with Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Heat-Stable Toxin Conjugates Engender Toxin-Neutralizing Antibodies in Mice That Also Cross-React with Guanylin and UroguanylinInfection with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a common cause of childhood diarrhea in low- and middle-income countries, as well as of diarrhea among travelers to these countries. In children, ETEC strains secreting the heat-stable toxin (ST) are the most pathogenic, and there are ongoing efforts to develop vaccines that target ST.
Microbial Immunity and VaccinesGroup A Streptococcus T Antigens Have a Highly Conserved Structure Concealed under a Heterogeneous Surface That Has Implications for Vaccine DesignGroup A Streptococcus (GAS) (Streptococcus pyogenes) is an important human pathogen associated with significant global morbidity and mortality for which there is no safe and efficacious vaccine. The T antigen, a protein that polymerizes to form the backbone of the GAS pilus structure, is a potential vaccine candidate.
Fungal and Parasitic InfectionsCombining Monophosphoryl Lipid A (MPL), CpG Oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN), and QS-21 Adjuvants Induces Strong and Persistent Functional Antibodies and T Cell Responses against Cell-Traversal Protein for Ookinetes and Sporozoites (CelTOS) of Plasmodium falciparum in BALB/c MicePlasmodium falciparum cell-traversal protein for ookinetes and sporozoites (PfCelTOS) is an advanced vaccine candidate that has a crucial role in the traversal of the malaria parasite in both mosquito and mammalian hosts. As recombinant purified proteins are normally poor immunogens, they require to be admixed with an adjuvant(s); therefore, the objective of the...
Bacterial InfectionsContribution of Active Iron Uptake to Acinetobacter baumannii PathogenicityAcinetobacter baumannii is an important nosocomial pathogen. Mechanisms that allow A. baumannii to cause human infection are still poorly understood.
Host Response and InflammationImmunologic Pathways in Protective versus Maladaptive Host Responses to Attenuated and Pathogenic Strains of Mycoplasma gallisepticumMycoplasmas are small bacterial commensals or pathogens that commonly colonize host mucosal tissues and avoid rapid clearance, in part by stimulating inflammatory, immunopathogenic responses. We previously characterized a wide array of transcriptomic perturbations in avian host tracheal mucosae infected with virulent, immunopathologic Mycoplasma gallisepticum; however...
Bacterial Infections | SpotlightEstablishment, Validation, and Application of a New World Primate Model of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Disease for Vaccine DevelopmentThe establishment of an animal model that closely approximates enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) disease in humans is critical for the development and evaluation of vaccines against this enteropathogen. Here, we evaluated the susceptibility of Aotus nancymaae, a New World monkey species, to...
Host Response and InflammationAntibodies to Protein but Not Glycolipid Structures Are Important for Host Defense against Mycoplasma pneumoniaeAntibody responses to Mycoplasma pneumoniae correlate with pulmonary M. pneumoniae clearance. However, M. pneumoniae-specific IgG antibodies can cross-react with the myelin glycolipid galactocerebroside (GalC) and cause...
Microbial Immunity and VaccinesImmunization with Recombinant Plasmodium falciparum Erythrocyte Membrane Protein 1 CIDRα1 Domains Induces Domain Subtype Inhibitory AntibodiesPlasmodium falciparum malaria pathogenesis is tied to the sequestration of parasites in the microvasculature. Parasite sequestration leading to severe malaria is mediated by P. falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1) binding to endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) via its CIDRα1 domains...
Host Response and InflammationOral Immunization with Nontoxigenic Clostridium difficile Strains Expressing Chimeric Fragments of TcdA and TcdB Elicits Protective Immunity against C. difficile Infection in Both Mice and HamstersThe symptoms of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) are attributed largely to two C. difficile toxins, TcdA and TcdB. Significant efforts have been devoted to developing vaccines targeting both toxins through parenteral immunization routes.