title: The effect of bacterial peptidoglycans on the immune response of hamsters to influenza virus vaccines.
abstract: The immune response of hamsters to influenza virus vaccine incorporating peptidoglycans derived from Streptomyces griseus was investigated. The results showed that although inoculation of a subunit influenza virus vaccine together with a peptidoglycan elicited a markedly increased serum HI antibody response compared to that induced by the subunit vaccine alone, pre-treatment of animals with peptidoglycans resulted in a suppression of the antibody response to the vaccine haemagglutinin antigen. The immunosuppressive effect was dose-related, and could be shown by adoptive transfer experiments to be transferred by spleen cell preparations from peptidoglycan-treated hamsters. The reasons for these findings, and their implication for the use of peptidoglycans as 'carriers' in influenza virus subunit vaccines, are discussed.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006224:Cricetinae; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D009975:Orthomyxoviridae / Q000276:immunology; D009976:Orthomyxoviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology; D010457:Peptidoglycan / Q000276:immunology*; D013305:Streptomyces griseus / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D010457:Peptidoglycan