Potentiating effect of adjuvants on humoral immunity to porcine parvovirus vaccines in guinea pigs.

Fourteen different adjuvants, given either in single or combined form with another compound were compared in guinea pigs for their ability to potentiate humoral immunity to porcine parvovirus (PPV) antigen after 2 vaccinations. Two injections were given, the second 3 weeks following the initial vaccination. Antibody concentrations to PPV in sera from injected animals were measured over a 5-week period by the hemagglutination inhibition test. At the conclusion of the experiment, guinea pigs injected with the following adjuvants and PPV antigen: CP-20 961 (Avridin), 50% aluminum hydroxide gel, ethylene maleic anhydride (EMA), oil and water emulsion (O/W) and dimethyl-dioctadecyl-ammonium bromide (DDA) immunologically responded with high geometric mean HI titers (380, 224 and 427, 602, 512, 1202 respectively), whereas guinea pigs receiving Emulsan, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), L-121, combinations of Emulsan/aluminum hydroxide, SDS/aluminum hydroxide and B. pertussis/aluminum hydroxide responded with low mean titers (54, 64, 18, 27, 11, 64, 14, 20 respectively). Guinea pigs injected with antigen without adjuvant responded weakly with geometric mean titers of 3.3 and 16 for the 2 groups tested. Prior to booster injection, guinea pigs immunized with 13 of the preparations had low (less than 4) or undetectable antibody titers. Antibody titers from guinea pigs receiving DDA adjuvant continued to rise throughout the duration of the experiment and at the conclusion had the highest mean titers of the groups tested (1202). The 2 groups immunized with 50% aluminum hydroxide gel had high mean titers (224, 427), but in both instances there was a wide range of titers within a group evidenced by high standard deviations. In contrast, guinea pigs receiving either DDA, CP-20 961, O/W or EMA had antibody titers within a narrow range and small standard deviation. The significance of aluminum hydroxide gel concentration on immunogenicity is discussed.