| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2403906 | Vaccine | 2012 | 11 Pages |
An efficacious Chlamydia vaccine is urgently needed to control Chlamydia infections. Heterologous prime-boost vaccination regimens are emerging as a promising strategy for preventing intracellular viral and bacterial infections. However, it remains to be determined if this regimen would be a feasible and effective approach for Chlamydia infection. In this study, we examined the immune response and the protective efficacy induced by various vaccination regimens using a recombinant adenovirus vector expressing the Chlamydia antigen CPAF (AdCPAF) and recombinant CPAF (rCPAF) subunit vaccines formulated with CpG oligodeoxynucleotides and/or a synthetic immunomodulatory peptide HH2 as adjuvants. A single dose of AdCPAF stimulated potent antibody production but weak cellular immune responses in mice. A booster rCPAF vaccine formulated with both CpG and HH2, but not CpG alone or HH2 alone, showed robust adjuvant effects on induction of Th1-biased cellular immune responses in mice primed with AdCPAF. In contrast, a homologous regimen using rCPAF/CpG/HH2 subunit vaccine for both priming and boosting induced a weak antibody response, but potent cellular immunity with a mixed Th1/Th17 profile. Despite the disparities observed in humoral and cellular immune responses, both the heterologous and homologous prime-boost regimens conferred significant immune protection against genital Chlamydia muridarum challenge in C3H/HeN and BALB/c mice.
► An adenovirus-based vaccine expressing CPAF antigen (AdCPAF) is developed. ► We compared the immune responses induced by different vaccination regimens using AdCPAF. ► The heterologous prime-boost stimulates a Th1-biased immunity. ► The homologous prime-boost stimulates a mixed Th1/Th17 immune response. ► Two prime-boost regimens induce comparable levels of protection against Chlamydia.
