Su H, Parnell M, Caldwell H D
Laboratory of Intracellular Parasites, NIAID, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA.
Vaccine. 1995 Aug;13(11):1023-32. doi: 10.1016/0264-410x(95)00017-u.
The protective efficacy of an alum-adsorbed, parenterally administered synthetic oligopeptide immunogen corresponding to antigenically common T-helper and neutralizing B-cell epitopes of the Chlamydia trachomatis major outer membrane protein was studied in a murine model of chlamydial genital tract infection. Mice produced high levels of anti-chlamydial serum IgG neutralizing antibodies following subcutaneous immunization with the alum-adsorbed oligopeptide. Lower but detectable levels of chlamydial specific IgG antibodies were found in vaginal washes. IgG1 was the predominant isotype present in sera and vaginal washes. Chlamydial-specific IgA was not present in either the sera or vaginal washes of immunized mice. Vaccinated and control mice were challenged intravaginally or intrauterinally with low, medium, or high doses of C. trachomatis serovar D challenge inocula. Protection was assessed by performing quantitative chlamydial cervico-vaginal cultures over the course of the infection period. There were no statistically significant differences between groups of immunized and control mice in either colonization, shedding, or duration of infection. These findings demonstrate that parenteral immunization with the oligopeptide (serum-neutralizing antibodies) is ineffective in preventing chlamydial genital tract infection. It is possible, since chlamydial infection is restricted to the genital tract mucosae, that a more accurate evaluation of the oligopeptide vaccine potential will require local rather than systemic immunization.
在沙眼衣原体生殖道感染的小鼠模型中，研究了一种经明矾吸附、肠胃外给药的合成寡肽免疫原的保护效力，该免疫原对应沙眼衣原体主要外膜蛋白的抗原性常见T辅助和中和B细胞表位。用经明矾吸附的寡肽皮下免疫小鼠后，小鼠产生了高水平的抗衣原体血清IgG中和抗体。在阴道灌洗液中发现了较低但可检测到的衣原体特异性IgG抗体水平。IgG1是血清和阴道灌洗液中存在的主要同种型。免疫小鼠的血清或阴道灌洗液中均不存在衣原体特异性IgA。用低、中、高剂量的沙眼衣原体血清型D攻击接种物对接种疫苗的小鼠和对照小鼠进行阴道内或子宫内攻击。通过在感染期进行定量衣原体宫颈-阴道培养来评估保护作用。在免疫小鼠组和对照小鼠组之间，在定植、脱落或感染持续时间方面均无统计学上的显著差异。这些发现表明，用寡肽进行肠胃外免疫（血清中和抗体）在预防沙眼衣原体生殖道感染方面无效。由于衣原体感染局限于生殖道黏膜，因此有可能对寡肽疫苗潜力进行更准确的评估将需要局部而非全身免疫。
