Intranasal Vaccination with Leishmanial Antigens Protects Golden Hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) Against Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis Infection |
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Authors: | Luzinei da Silva-Couto Raquel Peralva Ribeiro-Rom?o Andrea Franco Saavedra Beatriz Lilian da Silva Costa Souza Otacílio Cruz Moreira Adriano Gomes-Silva Bartira Rossi-Bergmann Alda Maria Da-Cruz Eduardo Fonseca Pinto |
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Institution: | 1. Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Pesquisas Médicas - Instituto Oswaldo Cruz - FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.; 2. Laboratório de Imunofarmacologia - Instituto de Biofísica Carlos Chagas Filho, UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.; 3. Laboratório de Biologia Molecular e Doenças Endêmicas - Instituto Oswaldo Cruz - FIOCRUZ, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.; The George Washington University Medical Center, United States of America, |
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Abstract: | BackgroundPrevious results have shown that oral and intranasal administration of particulate Leishmania (Leishmania) amazonensis antigens (LaAg) partially protects mice against L. amazonensis infection. However, vaccination studies on species of the subgenus Viannia, the main causative agent of cutaneous and mucosal leishmaniasis in the Americas, have been hampered by the lack of easy-to-handle bio-models that accurately mimic the human disease. Recently, we demonstrated that the golden hamster is an appropriate model for studying the immunopathogenesis of cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. (Viannia) braziliensis. Using the golden hamster model, our current study investigated whether the protective effect of intranasal immunisation with LaAg can be extended to L. braziliensis infection.Methodology/Principal FindingsGolden hamsters vaccinated with either two intranasal (IN) doses of LaAg (10 µg) or two intramuscular doses of LaAg (20 µg) were challenged 2 weeks post-vaccination with L. braziliensis. The results showed that IN immunisation with LaAg significantly reduced lesion growth and parasitic load as well as serum IgG and IgG2 levels. At the experimental endpoint on day 114 post-infection, IN-immunised hamsters that were considered protected expressed IFN-γ and IL10 mRNA levels that returned to uninfected skin levels. In contrast to the nasal route, intramuscular (IM) immunisation failed to provide protection.Conclusions/SignificanceThese results demonstrate for the first time that the nasal route of immunisation can induce cross protection against L. braziliensis infection. |
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