scholarly journals Vaccination with the Chlamydia trachomatis Major Outer Membrane Protein Can Elicit an Immune Response as Protective as That Resulting from Inoculation with Live Bacteria

2005 ◽  
Vol 73 (12) ◽  
pp. 8153-8160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sukumar Pal ◽  
Ellena M. Peterson ◽  
Luis M. de la Maza

ABSTRACT BALB/c mice were vaccinated by the intramuscular (i.m.) and subcutaneous (s.c.) routes with a native preparation of the Chlamydia trachomatis mouse pneumonitis (MoPn) major outer membrane protein (MOMP), using Montanide ISA 720 and CpG-1826 as adjuvants. A negative control group was immunized with ovalbumin and the two adjuvants, and a positive control group was immunized intranasally (i.n.) with 104 inclusion-forming units (IFU) of C. trachomatis. Four weeks after the last i.m.-plus-s.c. immunization, mice were challenged in the ovarian bursa with 105 IFU of C. trachomatis MoPn. Six weeks after the genital challenge, animals were mated, and the pregnancies were monitored. After vaccination with MOMP, the mice developed strong Chlamydia-specific humoral and cellular immune responses. Following the genital challenge, of the mice vaccinated with the MOMP, only 15% (3/20) had positive vaginal cultures, while 85% (17/20) of the animals immunized with ovalbumin had positive cultures over the 6 weeks of observation (P < 0.05). Also, only 14% (3/21) of the animals inoculated i.n. with Chlamydia had positive vaginal cultures. After mating, 75% (15/20) of the mice vaccinated with MOMP carried embryos in both uterine horns. Of the animals vaccinated i.n. with the Chlamydia, 81% (17/21) had embryos in both uterine horns (P > 0.05). In contrast, only 10% (2/20) of the mice immunized with ovalbumin had embryos in both uterine horns (P < 0.05). In conclusion, immunization with a purified preparation of the MOMP is as effective as vaccination with viable C. trachomatis in eliciting a protective immune response against a genital challenge in mice.

npj Vaccines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sukumar Pal ◽  
Maria I. Cruz-Fisher ◽  
Chunmei Cheng ◽  
Jennifer R. Carmichael ◽  
Delia F. Tifrea ◽  
...  

Abstract Implementation of a vaccine is likely the best approach to curtail Chlamydia trachomatis infections. The aim of this study was to determine the ability of a vaccine formulated with the recombinant major outer membrane protein (MOMP) and Th1 and Th2 adjuvants, delivered by combinations of systemic and mucosal routes, to elicit long-term protection in mice against a genital challenge with Chlamydia muridarum. As a negative control, mice were vaccinated with the recombinant Neisseria gonorrhoeae porinB, and the positive control group was immunized with C. muridarum live elementary bodies (EB). The four vaccines formulated with MOMP, as determined by the titers of IgG and neutralizing antibodies in serum, proliferative responses of T-cells stimulated with EB and levels of IFN-γ in the supernatants, elicited robust humoral and cellular immune responses over a 6-month period. Groups of mice were challenged genitally at 60, 120, or 180 days postimmunization. Based on the number of mice with positive vaginal cultures, number of positive cultures, length of time of shedding, and number of inclusion forming units recovered, MOMP vaccinated groups were significantly protected. To assess fertility, when the vaginal cultures became negative, female mice were caged with male mice and the outcome of the pregnancy evaluated. As determined by the number of pregnant mice and the number of embryos, two of the vaccine formulations protected mice up to 180 days postimmunization. To our knowledge this is the first subunit of Chlamydia vaccine that has elicited in mice significant long-term protection against a genital challenge.


2013 ◽  
Vol 81 (5) ◽  
pp. 1741-1750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Delia F. Tifrea ◽  
Pooja Ralli-Jain ◽  
Sukumar Pal ◽  
Luis M. de la Maza

ABSTRACTTo determine the ability of the major outer membrane protein (MOMP) to elicit cross-serovar protection, groups of mice were immunized by the intramuscular (i.m.) and subcutaneous (s.c.) routes with recombinant MOMP (rMOMP) fromChlamydia trachomatisserovars D (UW-3/Cx), E (Bour), or F (IC-Cal-3) orChlamydia muridarumstrain Nigg II using CpG-1826 and Montanide ISA 720 VG as adjuvants. Negative-control groups were immunized i.m. and s.c. withNeisseria gonorrhoeaerecombinant porin B (Ng-rPorB) or i.n. with Eagle's minimal essential medium (MEM-0). Following vaccination, the mice developed antibodies not only against the homologous serovar but also against heterologous serovars. The rMOMP-vaccinated animals also mounted cell-mediated immune responses as assessed by a lymphoproliferative assay. Four weeks after the last immunization, mice were challenged i.n. with 104inclusion-forming units (IFU) ofC. muridarum. The mice were weighed for 10 days and euthanized, and the number of IFU in their lungs was determined. At 10 days postinfection (p.i.), mice immunized with the rMOMP ofC. muridarumorC. trachomatisD, E, or F had lost 4%, 6%, 8%, and 8% of their initial body weight, respectively, significantly different from the negative-control groups (Ng-rPorB, 13%; MEM-0, 19%;P< 0.05). The median number of IFU recovered from the lungs of mice immunized withC. muridarumrMOMP was 0.13 × 106. The median number of IFU recovered from mice immunized with rMOMP from serovars D, E, and F were 0.38 × 106, 7.56 × 106, and 11.94 × 106IFU, respectively. All the rMOMP-immunized animals had significantly less IFU than theNg-rPorB (40 × 106)- or MEM-0 (70 × 106)-immunized mice (P< 0.05). In conclusion, vaccination with rMOMP can elicit protection against homologous and heterologousChlamydiaserovars.


2002 ◽  
Vol 70 (9) ◽  
pp. 4812-4817 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sukumar Pal ◽  
Heather L. Davis ◽  
Ellena M. Peterson ◽  
Luis M. de la Maza

ABSTRACT Recently, we have shown that a vaccine consisting of a purified preparation of the Chlamydia trachomatis mouse pneumonitis (MoPn) major outer membrane protein (MOMP) and Freund's adjuvant can protect mice against a genital challenge. Here, we wanted to determine if CpG motifs could be used as an immune modulator to the MOMP to induce protection in mice against an intranasal (i.n.) challenge. One-week-old BALB/c mice were immunized intramuscularly and subcutaneously either once or three times at 2-week intervals with MOMP and CpG suspended in aluminum hydroxide (alum). Negative controls received ovalbumin, CpG, and alum. Positive controls were immunized i.n. with C. trachomatis MoPn elementary bodies (EB). Six weeks after the last immunization, mice were challenged i.n. with 104 inclusion-forming units (IFU) of the C. trachomatis MoPn serovar. Mice that received MOMP, CpG, and alum had a strong immune response, as shown by a high titer of serum antibodies to Chlamydia and significant lymphoproliferation of T-cells following stimulation with C. trachomatis EB. After the i.n. challenge mice immunized with MOMP, CpG, and alum showed significantly less body weight loss than the corresponding control mice immunized with ovalbumin, CpG, and alum. Ten days after the challenge the animals were euthanized, their lungs were weighed, and the numbers of IFU in the lungs were determined. The average weight of the lungs of the mice immunized with MOMP, CpG, and alum was significantly less than average weight of the lungs of the mice immunized with ovalbumin, CpG, and alum. Also, the average number of IFU recovered per mouse immunized with MOMP, CpG, and alum was significantly less than the average number of IFU per mouse detected in the mice inoculated with ovalbumin, CpG, and alum. In conclusion, our data show that CpG sequences can be used as an effective adjuvant with the C. trachomatis MoPn MOMP to elicit a protective immune response in mice against a chlamydial respiratory challenge.


2001 ◽  
Vol 69 (10) ◽  
pp. 6240-6247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sukumar Pal ◽  
Ida Theodor ◽  
Ellena M. Peterson ◽  
Luis M. de la Maza

ABSTRACT Infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic abdominal pain are frequent complications of genital infections with Chlamydia trachomatis. In an attempt to produce a vaccine to protect against this pathogen we purified and refolded the C. trachomatis mouse pneumonitis (MoPn) major outer membrane protein (MOMP). This preparation, mixed with Freund's adjuvant using vortexing or sonication, was used to immunize BALB/c mice that were subsequently challenged in the upper genital tract. Vaginal cultures were taken on a weekly basis, and mice were mated 6 weeks after the challenge. Gels of the vortexed MOMP showed a predominant band with a molecular size of 62 kDa and weaker bands at 42 and 132 kDa, while the sonicated MOMP had a single band with a molecular size of 42 kDa. Following immunization with these two preparations, strong humoral and cell-mediated immune responses were detected in the mice inoculated with the vortexed MOMP. On the other hand, mice immunized with the sonicated MOMP had a strong humoral immune response but a relatively weak cell-mediated immune response, as determined by a T-cell lymphoproliferative assay and level of cytokine production by splenocytes. Vaginal cultures showed that the mice immunized with the vortexed MOMP were significantly protected, as determined by a decrease in the number of animals with positive cultures, the length of time the mice shed viable organisms, and the number of inclusion-forming units recovered per mouse. Animals immunized with the sonicated MOMP, on the other hand, showed a weaker level of protection based on the same three parameters. After mating, the number of fertile animals and number of embryos per mouse were significantly higher for the mice immunized with vortexed MOMP, but not for the mice immunized with sonicated MOMP, compared to those of the control groups. In conclusion, immunization with a purified and refolded preparation of the C. trachomatis MoPn MOMP confers a significant level of protection in mice against a genital challenge.


2000 ◽  
Vol 68 (12) ◽  
pp. 6798-6806 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph U. Igietseme ◽  
Andrew Murdin

ABSTRACT The significance of delivery systems in modern vaccine design strategies is underscored by the fact that a promising vaccine formulation may fail in vivo due to an inappropriate delivery method. We evaluated the immunogenicity and efficacy of a candidate vaccine comprising the major outer membrane protein (MOMP) of Chlamydia trachomatis delivered with the lipophilic immune response-stimulating complexes (ISCOMs) as a vehicle with adjuvant properties, in a murine model of chlamydial genital infection. Immunocompetent BALB/c mice were immunized intranasally (IN) or intramuscularly (IM) with MOMP, MOMP-ISCOMs, and live or heat-inactivated C. trachomatis serovar D. The level of local genital mucosal Th1 response was measured by assaying for antigen-specific Th1 cell induction and recruitment into the genital mucosa at different times after immunization. Immunization with MOMP-ISCOMs by the IM route induced the greatest and fastest local genital mucosal Th1 response, first detectable 2 weeks after exposure. Among the other routes and regimens tested, only IN immunization with MOMP-ISCOMs induced detectable and statistically significant levels of local genital mucosal Th1 response during the 8-week test period (P < 0.001). In addition, when T cells from immunized mice were adoptively transferred into syngeneic naive animals and challenged intravaginally with Chlamydia, recipients of IM immunization of MOMP-ISCOMs cleared their infection within 1 week and were resistant to reinfection. Animals that received IN immunization of MOMP-ISCOMs were partially protected, shedding fewer chlamydiae than did control mice. Altogether, the results suggested that IM delivery of MOMP-ISCOMs may be a suitable vaccine regimen potentially capable of inducing protective mucosal immunity against C. trachomatisinfection.


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