Investigation of the influence of peptide-carrier conjugation on the immunological activity of VP1-peptides of foot-and-mouth disease virus O1-Kaufbeuren.

We found coupling of short sequences of VP1 to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) by means of glutaraldehyde to be a very complex phenomenon which could only be controlled by strict standardization of components and reaction conditions. Considering the results, we may conclude that big immunogenic proteins, like KLH, are advantageous for achieving sufficient and specific antibody response with neutralizing activity. When using KLH, we did not find simple dependence of immunogenicity or neutralizing activity on the incorporation rate of hapten in KLH in a region between 50 and 200. To develop a synthetic vaccine of good economy, investigations have to be continued, primary with a view to lowering the doses involved.