title: Evaluation of the protective efficacy of Vibrio cholerae ghost (VCG) candidate vaccines in rabbits.
abstract: An effective Vibrio cholerae vaccine is needed to reduce the morbidity and mortality caused by this pathogen. Despite the availability of current oral vaccines with measurable efficacy, there is need for more effective vaccines with broad-spectrum efficacy in target populations. Recent studies have shown that bacterial ghosts, produced by the expression of cloned lysis gene E, possess adjuvant properties and are immunogenic. In this study, ghosts were prepared from V. cholerae O1 or O139 and evaluated as vaccines in the reversible intestinal tie adult rabbit diarrhea (RITARD) model. Rabbits were orally immunized with different doses of V. cholerae ghost (VCG) formulations. The vaccine formulations elicited high levels of serum vibriocidal titers against indicator strains. The magnitude of the response was measured as the geometric mean titer (GMT) increase for all rabbits in relation to prevaccination titers. The induction of cross protection was evidenced by the ability of serum from VCG-immunized rabbits to mediate complement-dependent killing of both the homologous and the heterologous strains. Immunized rabbits were protected against intraduodenal challenge 30 days after primary immunization. Protective immunity against challenge appeared to be dose dependent and was associated with marked inhibition of colonization. These results indicate that VCGs represent a novel approach to cholera vaccine development and constitute an effective vaccine delivery vehicle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Immunology, Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview Dr., S.W., Atlanta, GA 30310, USA. feko@msm.edu
authors.forename: Francis O
authors.initials: FO
authors.lastname: Eko
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Schukovskaya
authors.forename: E Y
authors.initials: EY
authors.lastname: Lotzmanova
authors.forename: V V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Firstova
authors.forename: N V
authors.initials: NV
authors.lastname: Emalyanova
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Klueva
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Kravtzov
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Livanova
authors.forename: Vladimir V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Kutyrev
authors.forename: Joseph U
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Igietseme
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lubitz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D002771:Cholera / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002772:Cholera Toxin / Q000276:immunology; D022121:Cholera Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D011817:Rabbits; D014734:Vibrio cholerae / Q000276:immunology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D022121:Cholera Vaccines; D002772:Cholera Toxin