[Analysis of the antigeno-immunologic activity of heated leptospirosis vaccine in vaccinees and in an experimental study].

The comparative analysis of the immunological effectiveness of heat-killed polyvalent leptospirosis vaccine has shown the low immunological effectiveness of the whole preparation (17.8%) and its components with the exception of the antigen of the Grippotyphosa serogroup. Antibodies could be detected in the vaccinees for not more than 10 months, and they showed the properties of 19S-macroglobulin antibodies. In experiments on rabbits newly isolated Leptospira strains from human patients and wild rodents, homologous to the vaccinal strains, were found to considerably surpass the latter in their immunogenic properties; this was particularly manifest in strain "Tundra vole No. 180". The use of newly isolated Leptospira strains as vaccinal antigens is recommended. A modified heat-killed polyvalent leptospirosis vaccine should have less antigens, and the antigenic and immunogenic properties of the remaining antigens must be equivalent to those of the vaccinal antigen of Leptospira belonging to the Grippotyphosa serogroup.