title: Protection against Vibrio vulnificus infection by active and passive immunization with the C-terminal region of the RtxA1/MARTXVv protein.
abstract: Vibrio vulnificus is a foodborne pathogen that is prevalent in coastal waters worldwide. Infection with V. vulnificus causes septicemia with fatality rates exceeding 50% even with aggressive antibiotic therapy. Several vaccine studies to prevent V. vulnificus infection have been performed but have had limited success. In this study, we identified the C-terminal region (amino acids 3491 to 4701) of the V. vulnificus multifunctional autoprocessing RTX (MARTXVv or RtxA1) protein, RtxA1-C, as a promising antigen that induces protective immune responses against V. vulnificus. Vaccination of mice with recombinant RtxA1-C protein with adjuvant elicited a robust antibody response and a dramatic reduction in blood bacterial load in mice infected intraperitoneally. Vaccination resulted in significant protection against lethal challenge with V. vulnificus. Furthermore, intraperitoneal passive immunization with serum raised against the recombinant RtxA1-C protein demonstrated marked efficacy in both prophylaxis and therapy. These results suggest that active and passive immunization against the C-terminal region of the RtxA1 protein may be an effective approach in the prevention and therapy of V. vulnificus infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Jeonbuk 561-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Tae Hee
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Jeonbuk 561-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Mi Hyun
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Jeonbuk 561-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chang-Seop
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Jeonbuk 561-756, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ju-Hyung
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Clinical Vaccine R&D Center, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju 520-724, Republic of Korea; Department of Microbiology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju 520-724, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Joon Haeng
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Rhee
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Jeonbuk 561-756, Republic of Korea; Institute for Medical Science, Chonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Jeonbuk 561-756, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: kmin@jbnu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Kyung Min
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D000917:Antibody Formation; D058491:Bacterial Load; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000276:immunology*; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007116:Immunization, Passive; D051379:Mice; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D014735:Vibrio Infections / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D007106:Immune Sera; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C434464:RtxA protein, Vibrio cholerae
keywords: Passive immunization; RtxA1/MARTX(Vv); Therapy; Vaccine; Vibrio vulnificus