title: Pure paraflagellar rod protein protects mice against Trypanosoma cruzi infection.
abstract: The paraflagellar rod proteins (PAR) purified from Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes were shown to protect mice against an otherwise lethal challenge inoculum of 10(3) bloodstream-form trypomastigotes. The injection route used for immunization was shown to have a marked impact on the development of protective immunity. Mice receiving subcutaneous (s.c.) injections of PAR proteins had reduced bloodstream parasitemias and showed 100% survival following challenge. In contrast, mice immunized via the intraperitoneal (i.p.) route developed parasitemia levels equivalent to those of unimmunized controls and did not survive infection. Western blotting (immunoblotting) demonstrated that sera from both i.p. and s.c. immunized mice reacted specifically with PAR proteins; however, the antibody titer of the i.p. immunized mice was approximately 64-fold greater than that of the s.c. immunized mice, suggesting that the protective response in the s.c. immunized mice is cell mediated rather than humoral.
authors: Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California-Irvine 92717.
authors: R A
authors: RA
authors: Wrightsman
authors: M J
authors: MJ
authors: Miller
authors: J L
authors: JL
authors: Saborio
authors: J E
authors: JE
authors: Manning
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan / Q000097:blood; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D005407:Flagella / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014611:Vaccination
chemical_list: D000913:Antibodies, Protozoan; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; D016052:Protozoan Vaccines; C045519:paraflagellar rod proteins, Trypanosoma brucei