Adjuvant effect of DEAE-dextran on cholera vaccines.

Investigations into the effectiveness of DEAE-dextran as an adjuvant of whole cell cholera vaccines (Vibrio cholerae Inaba and Ogawa serotypes) were conducted using two methods: (a) the active mouse protection test, (b) the determination of antibody production in the sera of immunized mice by measuring the level of vibriocidal antibodies, and by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In all tests, the DEAE-dextran-adjuvanted vaccine showed an antigenicity substantially superior to that achieved without adjuvants.