title: Protective effect of a dewaxed whole-cell vaccine against Mycobacterium ulcerans infection in mice.
abstract: Mycobacterium ulcerans causes Buruli ulcer, a chronic and destructive necrotizing ulcer in humans. Effective vaccination should be one of the best methods for the prevention of this ulcer. However, no effective vaccines have been developed against M. ulcerans infection. In an effort to develop such a vaccine, we examined protective immunity against M. ulcerans infection in a mouse footpad-infection model. Prior infection of mice with a virulent strain of M. ulcerans or a mycolactone-deficient strain of M. ulcerans resulted in limited protection against subsequent challenge by a virulent strain of M. ulcerans. Protection was not induced in mice immunized with a formalin-treated killed whole-cell preparation of M. ulcerans. By contrast, a dewaxed whole-cell vaccine, prepared by dewaxing M. ulcerans with organic solvents that removed mycolactones and waxy cell walls from the cells, induced significant protection in mice. Our observations should facilitate development of effective vaccines against Buruli ulcer for control of this disease.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Infection Control Sciences, Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan; Laboratory of Medical Microbiology, Kitasato Institute for Life Sciences, Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan. Electronic address: watanam@lisci.kitasato-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Mineo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Infection Control Sciences, Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan.
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Infection Control Sciences, Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryutaro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nabekura
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Infection Control Sciences, Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shinoda
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Medical Microbiology, Kitasato Institute for Life Sciences, Kitasato University, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo 108-8641, Japan.
authors.forename: Eri
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Shimane University, 89-1 Enya-cho, Izumo 693-8501, Shimane, Japan.
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saito
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D054312:Buruli Ulcer / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005528:Foot / Q000473:pathology; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D019911:Mycobacterium ulcerans / Q000276:immunology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D001428:Bacterial Vaccines
keywords: Buruli ulcer; Mycobacterium ulcerans; Neglected tropical disease; mycolactone