Zeitlin L, Castle P E, Whaley K J, Moench T R, Cone R A
Department of Biophysics, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.
J Reprod Immunol. 1998 Oct;40(1):93-101. doi: 10.1016/s0165-0378(98)00041-2.
An IgG2a monoclonal antibody (Mab) directed against glycoprotein D of herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2) was compared with an IgA heavy chain Mab switch variant to investigate the effect of isotype for topical immunoprotection of the murine vagina. The IgA Mab, a mixture of monomeric and polymeric IgA, was indistinguishable from its IgG parent in an in vitro HSV-2 neutralization assay. When these class switched Mabs were delivered to the mouse vagina, we also found no significant difference between the IgG and IgA for preventing vaginal transmission of HSV-2 infection. The implications of these results for active and passive immunization strategies against vaginal transmission of genital herpes infections are discussed.
