Recombinant OspA protects dogs against infection and disease caused by Borrelia burgdorferi

• Published in: Infection and Immunity 1995-09, Vol.63 (9), p.3543-3549
• Main Authors: Chang, Y F, Appel, M J, Jacobson, R H, Shin, S J, Harpending, P, Straubinger, R, Patrican, L A, Mohammed, H, Summers, B A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: adjuvant; adjuvants; Animals; Antibodies, Bacterial - blood; antigene; antigenos; antigens; Antigens, Surface - immunology; articulaciones; articulation; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - immunology; Bacterial Vaccines - immunology; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; blood serum; borrelia burgdorferi; Borrelia burgdorferi Group - isolation & purification; chien; coadyuvantes; Dogs; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; growth rate; immune response; indice de crecimiento; inhibicion; inhibition; joints body parts; Lipoproteins; Lyme Disease - pathology; Lyme Disease - prevention & control; Male; Microbiology; perro; reponse immunitaire; respuesta inmunologica; serum sanguin; suero sanguineo; synthetic vaccines; taux de croissance; Ticks; vaccin synthetique; Vaccination; Vaccines, antisera, therapeutical immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies; Vaccines, Synthetic - immunology; vacuna sintetica; vacunacion
• ISSN: 0019-9567; 1098-5522
• DOI: 10.1128/IAI.63.9.3543-3549.1995

Twenty-two specific-pathogen-free beagles were vaccinated with recombinant OspA (ospA gene derived from Borrelia burgdorferi B31) alone or with adjuvant (QuilA, Montanide ISA25, or aluminum hydroxide) at 6 weeks of age. Thirteen dogs were used as nonvaccinated controls with or without adjuvant. Three dogs were kept as contact controls and received neither vaccine nor challenge. Six weeks or 6 months after the first vaccination, the vaccinated (20 of 22) and nonvaccinated dogs (13) were challenged by exposure to adult ticks (Ixodes scapulars) naturally that were infected with B. burgdorferi (tick infection rate, 260%) and that were collected from Westchester County, N.Y. Protection from infection was evaluated by culture for B. burgdorferi from skin biopsies taken near the sites of tick bites. Skin biopsies were taken at monthly intervals for 3 months. B. burgdorferi was not isolated from any of the vaccinated dogs. In contrast, 12 of 13 control dogs challenged by exposure to the ticks were culture positive. The histopathology of the joint capsules 3 months after the challenge was used to evaluate protection from arthritis. Eight of 13 control dogs showed synovitis in single or multiple joints, while only 1 of the 22 vaccinated dogs had a single focus of mild inflammation in a single joint. At the time of the challenge, the vaccinated dogs had antibody to B. burgdorferi, which was demonstrable by kinetic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Western blotting (immunoblotting), and a serum growth inhibition assay. The vaccinal antibody declined gradually after the challenge, especially in dogs vaccinated with OspA without adjuvants. Antibodies in the challenge control dogs were only detectable by 4 to 6 weeks after the challenge and remained at high levels until the termination of the study. Contact control dogs showed no antibody responses or histopathologic lesions and were culture negative.