scholarly journals Maternal Antibodies to Pneumolysin but Not to Pneumococcal Surface Protein A Delay Early Pneumococcal Carriage in High-Risk Papua New Guinean Infants

2009 ◽  
Vol 16 (11) ◽  
pp. 1633-1638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacinta P. Francis ◽  
Peter C. Richmond ◽  
William S. Pomat ◽  
Audrey Michael ◽  
Helen Keno ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Placental Transfer ◽  
Protein A ◽  
Surface Protein ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Specific Antibodies ◽  
Pneumococcal Carriage ◽  
Pneumococcal Surface Protein A ◽  
Antibody Titers ◽  
High Risk Infants

ABSTRACT Immunization of pregnant women can be an efficient strategy to induce early protection in infants in developing countries. Pneumococcal protein-based vaccines may have the capacity to induce pneumococcal serotype-independent protection. To understand the potential of maternal pneumococcal protein-specific antibodies in infants in high-risk areas, we studied the placental transfer of naturally acquired antibodies to pneumolysin (Ply) and pneumococcal surface protein A family 1 and 2 (PspA1 and PspA2) in relation to onset of pneumococcal nasopharyngeal carriage in infants in Papua New Guinea (PNG). In this study, 76% of the infants carried Streptococcus pneumoniae in the upper respiratory tract within the first month of life, at a median age of 19 days. Maternal and cord blood antibody titers to Ply (ρ = 0.824, P < 0.001), PspA1 (ρ = 0.746, P < 0.001), and PspA2 (ρ = 0.631, P < 0.001) were strongly correlated. Maternal pneumococcal carriage (hazard ratio [HR], 2.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.25 to 5.39) and younger maternal age (HR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.54 to 1.00) were independent risk factors for early carriage, while higher cord Ply-specific antibody titers predicted a significantly delayed onset (HR, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.52 to 1.00) and cord PspA1-specific antibodies a significantly younger onset of carriage in PNG infants (HR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.03 to 2.40). Maternal vaccination with a pneumococcal protein-based vaccine should be considered as a strategy to protect high-risk infants against pneumococcal disease by reducing carriage risks in both mothers and infants.

scholarly journals Contributions of Pneumolysin, Pneumococcal Surface Protein A (PspA), and PspC to Pathogenicity of Streptococcus pneumoniae D39 in a Mouse Model

2007 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 1843-1851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abiodun D. Ogunniyi ◽  
Kim S. LeMessurier ◽  
Rikki M. A. Graham ◽  
James M. Watt ◽  
David E. Briles ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Streptococcus Pneumoniae ◽  
Systemic Disease ◽  
Protein A ◽  
Virulence Gene ◽  
Surface Protein ◽  
Invasive Disease ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Virulence Proteins ◽  
Pneumococcal Surface Protein A ◽  
Genes Encoding

ABSTRACTSuccessful colonization of the upper respiratory tract byStreptococcus pneumoniaeis an essential first step in the pathogenesis of pneumococcal disease. However, the bacterial and host factors that provoke the progression from asymptomatic colonization to invasive disease are yet to be fully defined. In this study, we investigated the effects of single and combined mutations in genes encoding pneumolysin (Ply), pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA), and pneumococcal surface protein C (PspC, also known as choline-binding protein A) on the pathogenicity ofStreptococcus pneumoniaeserotype 2 (D39) in mice. Following intranasal challenge with D39, stable colonization of the nasopharynx was maintained over a 7-day period at a level of approximately 105bacteria per mouse. The abilities of the mutant deficient in PspA to colonize the nasopharynx and to cause lung infection and bacteremia were significantly reduced. Likewise, the PspC mutant and, to a lesser extent, the Ply mutant also had reduced abilities to colonize the nasopharynx. As expected, the double mutants colonized less well than the parent to various degrees and had difficulty translocating to the lungs and blood. A significant additive attenuation was observed for the double and triple mutants in pneumonia and systemic disease models. Surprisingly, the colonization profile of the derivative lacking all three proteins was similar to that of the wild type, indicating virulence gene compensation. These findings further demonstrate that the mechanism of pneumococcal pathogenesis is highly complex and multifactorial but ascribes a role for each of these virulence proteins, alone or in combination, in the process.

scholarly journals DNA vaccines expressing pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) elicit protection levels comparable to recombinant protein

2006 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela M. Ferreira ◽  
Eliane N. Miyaji ◽  
Maria Leonor S. Oliveira ◽  
Michelle Darrieux ◽  
Ana Paula M. Arêas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Streptococcus Pneumoniae ◽  
Recombinant Protein ◽  
Dna Vaccines ◽  
Protein A ◽  
Surface Protein ◽  
Humoral Response ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Promising Candidate ◽  
Pneumococcal Surface Protein A ◽  
Antibody Levels

Pneumococcal surface protein A (PspA) is a promising candidate for the development of cost-effective vaccines against Streptococcus pneumoniae. In the present study, BALB/c mice were immunized with DNA vaccine vectors expressing the N-terminal region of PspA. Animals immunized with a vector expressing secreted PspA developed higher levels of antibody than mice immunized with the vector expressing the antigen in the cytosol. However, both immunogens elicited similar levels of protection against intraperitoneal challenge. Furthermore, immunization with exactly the same fragment in the form of a recombinant protein, with aluminium hydroxide as an adjuvant, elicited even higher antibody levels, but this increased humoral response did not correlate with enhanced protection. These results show that DNA vaccines expressing PspA are able to elicit protection levels comparable to recombinant protein, even though total anti-PspA IgG response is considerably lower.

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