Abstract
Background
Streptococcus pneumoniae causes widespread morbidity and mortality. Current vaccines contain free polysaccharides or protein-polysaccharide conjugates, and do not induce protection against serotypes that are not included in the vaccines. An affordable and broadly protective vaccine is very desirable. The goal of this study was to determine the optimal formulation of a killed whole cell pneumococcal vaccine with aluminum-containing adjuvants for intramuscular injection.
Methods
Four aluminium-containing adjuvants were prepared with different levels of surface phosphate groups resulting in different adsorptive capacities and affinities for the vaccine antigens. Mice were immunized three times and the antigen-specific antibody titers and IL-17 responses in blood were analyzed.
Results
Although all adjuvants induced significantly higher antibody titers than antigen without adjuvant, the vaccine containing aluminum phosphate adjuvant (AP) produced the highest antibody response when low doses of antigen were used. Aluminum hydroxide adjuvant (AH) induced an equal or better antibody response at high doses compared with AP. Vaccines formulated with AH, but not with AP, induced an IL-17 response. The vaccine formulated with AH was stable and retained full immunogenicity when stored at 4°C for 4 months.
Conclusions
Antibodies are important for protection against systemic streptococcal disease and IL-17 is critical in the prevention of nasopharyngeal colonization by S. pneumoniae in the mouse model. The formulation of the whole killed bacterial cells with AH resulted in a stable vaccine that induced both antibodies and an IL-17 response. These experiments underscore the importance of formulation studies with aluminium containing adjuvants for the development of stable and effective vaccines.
Date of this Version
7-29-2011
DOI
10.1186/1476-8518-9-5
Recommended Citation
HogenEsch, Harm; Dunham, Anisa; Hansen, Bethany; Anderson, Kathleen; Maisonneuve, Jean-Francois; and Hem, Stanley L., "Formulation of a Killed Whole Cell Pneumococcus Vaccine - Effect of Aluminum Adjuvants on the Antibody and IL-17 Response." (2011). Department of Comparative Pathobiology Faculty Publications. Paper 15.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1476-8518-9-5
Comments
This is the publisher pdf of Formulation of a killed whole cell pneumococcus vaccine - effect of aluminum adjuvants on the antibody and IL-17 response. Harm HogenEsch, Anisa Dunham, Bethany Hansen, Kathleen Anderson, Jean-Francois Maisonneuve, Stanley L Hem. Journal of Immune Based Therapies and Vaccines 2011, 9:5 (29 July 2011) and is available at: 10.1186/1476-8518-9-5.