Vaccination with major outer membrane protein proteosomes elicits protection in mice against a Chlamydia respiratory challenge

Vaccines formulated with the Chlamydia muridarum native major outer membrane protein (nMOMP) have so far been shown to elicit the most robust protection against this pathogen. nMOMP is a membrane protein and therefore, detergents are used to keep it in solution. Detergents however, have toxic effects. To address this limitation, we tested a nMOMP proteosome vaccine and compared its ability to elicit protection against nMOMP solubilized in the detergent Z3-14. The two preparations were formulated with or without CpG + Montanide (C/M). As a control antigen we used ovalbumin. Mice vaccinated with nMOMP developed strong humoral and cell mediated Chlamydia-specific immune responses. Based on the IgG2a/IgG1 levels in serum and amounts of IFN-γ in splenocytes supernatants the immune responses were predominantly Th1-biased. The animals were subsequently challenged intranasally with 2 × 103Chlamydia inclusion forming units (IFU) and the course of the infection was followed for 10 days when the mice were euthanized. Based on changes in body weight, weight of the lungs and number of IFU recovered from the lungs, mice immunized with nMOMP-Ps and nMOMP + Z3-14 adjuvanted with C/M showed the most robust protection. In summary, nMOMP-Ps should be considered as Chlamydia vaccine candidates.