title: Protection and suppression of the humoral immune response in mice mediated by a monoclonal antibody against the M epitope of Brucella.
abstract: The capacity of the BmE10-5 monoclonal antibody (mAb), with specificity for the Brucella spp. M epitope, to confer protection against infection with B. abortus 2308 (A-dominant strain) has been evaluated. Injected before infection, the BmE10-5 mAb diminished the bacterial counts in spleen from week 1 to week 8 postinfection and in liver from week 4 to week 7. Thus, protection mediated by the BmE10-5 mAb, as measured by a reduction in the bacterial counts in both spleen and liver, was demonstrated from week 2 to week 8 postinfection. The humoral immune response of IgG, IgM, IgG1 and IgG3 antibodies, specific against the B. abortus 2308 smooth lipopolysaccharide, was clearly suppressed in all the mice protected with the BmE10-5 mAb, thus demonstrating the importance, in protecting against infection, of the existence in serum of M-epitope-specific antibodies at the same time the infection is acquired. The development of subcellular vaccines including the Brucella M epitope could constitute an interesting alternative to attenuated living vaccines.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiología y Genética, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vizcaíno
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fernández-Lago
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002003:Brucella abortus / Q000276:immunology*; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000097:blood; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D019081:O Antigens; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D013154:Spleen / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000939:Epitopes; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D019081:O Antigens; D011135:Polysaccharides, Bacterial