Abstract
In this study we evaluated the efficacy of DNA vaccination of IFN-γ knockout (GKO) mice against Listeria monocytogenes, as these immunodeficient mice are highly susceptible to infection with low numbers of this intracellular bacterial pathogen. Following intramuscular immunization of BALB/c GKO mice with plasmid DNA constructs encoding recombinant forms of the L. monocytogenes hemolysin, listeriolysin O (LLO), we detected the in vivo induction of a LLO91-99 peptide-specific, protective immune CTL response equivalent to that observed following similar DNA vaccination of normal BALB/c mice. The observed protection represented greatly enhanced immunity for the GKO host, suggesting that DNA vaccination may provide a useful vaccine alternative for certain immunocompromised host populations.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 2122-2132 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Vaccine |
Volume | 21 |
Issue number | 17-18 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 16 May 2003 |
Keywords
- Bacterial immunity
- Cytotoxic T lymphocytes
- DNA vaccines