Parenteral immunization with a glycoconjugate vaccine containing the O157 antigen of Escherichia coli O157:H7 elicits a systemic humoral immune response in mice, but fails to prevent colonization by the pathogen.
The results of the present study show that whereas both BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice parenterally inoculated with a horse serum albumin-Escherichia coli O157 antigen conjugate vaccine develop systemic, specific antibodies to the carrier protein, only the former mice routinely develop antibodies to the carbohydrate O157 moiety. However, little convincing evidence was found to show that these antibodies transuded into the intestinal tract either naturally or in response to an oral inoculum of the pathogen. Moreover, this vaccination procedure failed to protect mice against intestinal colonization following oral challenge with the pathogen. Thus, the results of this study suggest that parenteral vaccination might be an unsuitable strategy for combatting E. coli O157:H7 organisms located in the gut.
National Research Council Canada, Institute for Biological Sciences, Ottawa, Canada. wayne.conlan@nrc.ca
J W
JW
Conlan
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Cox
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KuoLee
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Webb
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MB
Perry
D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology*; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D019453:Escherichia coli O157 / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000097:blood; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D014611:Vaccination; D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D012709:Serum Albumin; D018074:Vaccines, Conjugate