Humoral immune response to Bacteroides gingivalis fimbrial antigen in mice.

Bacteroides gingivalis fimbrial antigen incorporated into liposomes, but not in Tris-HCl buffer, significantly raised the levels of anti-fimbriae antibodies in serum, particularly of the IgG class, after oral primary and booster immunizations in BALB/c mice. An approximately linear relationship was observed between the dose of fimbrial antigen and the level of fimbriae-specific antibodies produced; antibody production reached its maximum at an immunization dosage of 500 micrograms of fimbriae per mouse. Fimbriae-specific antibody production was enhanced by use of a semi-synthetic adjuvant, a stearoyl derivative of sodium beta-N-acetylglucosaminyl-(1----4)-N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutaminyl-(L) - stearoyl-(D)-meso-diamino-pimelic acid-(D)-amide-D-alanine (GM)-53) in liposomes. High anti-fimbriae antibody levels in serum and saliva were maintained for several months in the mice that had received two orally administered boosters of fimbrial antigen with GM-53 in liposomes. Salivary anti-fimbriae antibody levels, particularly of the IgA class, were markedly raised.