Protection of mice against fatal pneumococcal challenge by immunization with pneumococcal surface adhesin A (PsaA)

• Published in: Microbial pathogenesis 1996-07, Vol.21 (1), p.17-22
• Main Authors: Talkington, Deborah F., Brown, Bobby G., Tharpe, Jean A., Koenig, Amie, Russell, Harold
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adhesins, Bacterial; Animals; Antibodies, Bacterial - analysis; Bacterial Proteins - immunology; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Western; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Lipoproteins; Membrane Transport Proteins; Mice; Mice, Inbred CBA; Microbiology; Photosystem I Protein Complex; Pneumococcal Infections - immunology; Pneumococcal Infections - prevention & control; Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; Streptococcus pneumoniae; Streptococcus pneumoniae - immunology; surface protein; vaccine; Vaccines, antisera, therapeutical immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies; Vaccines, Synthetic - administration & dosage; Vaccines, Synthetic - immunology
• ISSN: 0882-4010; 1096-1208
• DOI: 10.1006/mpat.1996.0038

Pneumococcal surface adhesin A (PsaA) is a 37-kDa surface protein present on Streptococcus pneumoniaehaving significant homology with fimbrial adhesion proteins. Immunization of CBA/CaHNJ Xid mice with PsaA using either complete Freund's or TiterMax™ adjuvants significantly protected mice against heterologous intravenous challenge with type 3 pneumococcal strain WU2 at doses up to 45 times the LD 50. The results indicate that PsaA warrants further evaluation as a vaccine candidate for human pneumococcal disease.