Focus: Vaccines: Erythema Multiforme Following Hepatitis A and Pneumococcal Vaccinations

Erythema multiforme (EM) is a rare cell-mediated immune response characterized by target or iris patches or plaques that present symmetrically on the extremities. This condition may be associated with pruritus but is usually self-limited and spontaneously resolves within 5 weeks of onset; prodromal symptoms are rare. Several known cases have been linked to vaccination, but many vaccines used in pediatric care have been reported as causative agents of EM. This case study offers an association of EM following administration of the hepatitis A and pneumococcal vaccines.     

森林脑炎病毒地鼠肾细胞培养增殖动态及疫苗生产工艺改进的研究

为了解森林脑炎病毒的增殖动态,改进现有疫苗的工艺,将森林脑炎病毒感染地鼠肾细胞,控制不同的培养条件,以利病毒增殖,并于不同时间收获病毒液,测定病毒滴度。疫苗液用不同浓度的福尔马林灭活后,测定疫苗的保护指数。结果表明森张株病毒增殖高峰在68－72h,多次收获的病毒液及其病毒滴度、疫苗效力均优于现有疫苗,新工艺可提高病毒产量,为疫苗的精制纯人奠定了基础。     

HIV-1 gagpol重组腺病毒疫苗的构建及其免疫原性的研究

目的：构建HIV-1重组腺病毒疫苗并初步鉴定其免疫原性。方法：用Adeno-XExpressionSystem试剂盒将HIV—lgagpol基因片段插入到腺病毒载体上,通过脂质体介导将获得的重组腺病毒质粒Adeno—X-gagpol转染至293细胞,使之自主包装成有感染活性的重组腺病毒tad—gagpol,用western-blotting法鉴定其表达情况;用CsCl密度梯度离心法纯化该重组腺病毒,以5×10^8 pfu／mL的滴度lmL单次免疫小鼠,15天后测小鼠体液免疫效果。结果：克隆序列与设计相符,重组腺病毒疫苗能稳定表达gag—pol蛋白,体液免疫中检测出抗p55和p24的特异性抗体。结论：HIV—lgagpol重组腺病毒构建成功,具有一定的体液免疫原性。     

中国脊髓灰质炎病毒疫苗株基因特征及其神经毒力的初步观察

中国脊髓灰质炎病毒疫苗株普遍存在基因变异的现象,如重组,点突变等。我们选出１０株有代表性的变异株,在具有人脊灰病毒受体基因的转基因小鼠ＰＶＲ－Ｔｇ２１中做毒力分析,发现Ｓａｂｉｎ １基因型与野毒基因型的重组株显示很强的神经毒力,其ＰＤ５０ｉｎＴＣＩＤ５０值为４．５,而Ｓｂｉｎ１标准株的ＰＤ５０值大于８０。另外两株Ｉ型疫苗株只有关键性核苷酸位点发生突变,只在位点５２５－发生突变的一株,其ＰＤ５０值为     

H7N9禽流感病毒裂解佐剂(MF59)疫苗的长期免疫原性研究

目的 评价H7N9禽流感病毒裂解佐剂(MF59)疫苗的长期免疫原性。方法 制备含MF59佐剂的H7N9禽流感病毒裂解疫苗成品,放置于(6±2)℃环境下,取保存6、24和30个月后的疫苗,对小鼠进行免疫,以血凝抑制效价和微量中和抗体滴度来评估该疫苗的免疫原性。同时,用存放30个月的疫苗进行2次免疫后,对小鼠进行攻毒,观察MF59佐剂疫苗的免疫保护效应。结果 H7N9禽流感病毒裂解佐剂(MF59)疫苗在(6±2)℃保存30个月后免疫小鼠,检测其血凝抑制抗体效价和微量中和抗体滴度均没有明显的变化,且免疫小鼠能够有效抵御H7N9病毒的感染及其致病效应。结论 H7N9禽流感病毒裂解佐剂(MF59)疫苗具有良好的免疫原性,在(6±2)℃至少可保存30个月。     

增强DNA疫苗免疫应答的新进展

DNA疫苗为编码抗原蛋白的真核表达载体,注入体内后在原位表达所编码的抗原并诱导免疫应答,在预防感染、治疗自身免疫性疾病、过敏性疾病和肿瘤等疫病中有着很好的应用前景。但与灭活疫苗相比,其免疫效价还比较低。有多种策略能够增强或调节DNA疫苗诱导的免疫应答,其中,作为外源基因载体的质粒的组成及插入的有关基因均可直接或间接地影响免疫反应的效果,在构建DNA疫苗质粒时,加入细胞因子、融合信号、泛素等基因以及ISS序列,另外还可以通过设计一些对抗原提成细胞有影响的分子共注射,以及加入转移分子,都可以明显增强DNA疫苗的免疫效果,从而有利于研制更有效的DNA疫苗。     

微载体灌注培养制备Vero细胞狂犬病疫苗

本文研究在生物反应器中用微载体连续灌注培养Vero细胞生产狂犬病毒制备技术。在5L体积的生物反应器中,加入含10g/L微载体的199培养基,接种Vero细胞至细胞浓度达到1×105/mL,培养7d后细胞可生长至6~7×106/mL,然后以感染复数(MOI)为0.01接种狂犬病毒VaG株,接毒后24h开始收获,连续收获12d左右,收获的病毒滴度范围在6.0~8.5logLD50/mL,收获的病毒原液经浓缩、灭活和纯化等步骤制备成疫苗,各项质量指标均达到《中国生物制品规程》2000年版要求。实验表明,用生物反应器微载体灌注培养制备人用Vero细胞狂犬病疫苗小试工艺可行。     

A novel Helicobacter pylori cell-surface polysaccharide

Helicobacter pylori bacteria colonize the gastric mucosa of more than half of the world's human population and its infection may instigate a wide spectrum of gastric diseases in the host. At the moment, there is no vaccine against H. pylori, a microorganism recognized as a category 1 human carcinogen, and treatment is limited to antibiotic management. Pioneering antigenic studies carried out by Penner and co-workers, which employed homologous H. pylori antisera specific for cell-surface lipopolysaccharide (LPS), revealed the presence of six distinct H. pylori serotypes (O1 to O6). Subsequent studies have shown that H. pylori serotype O1 expressed LPS with lengthy O-chain polysaccharide (PS) composed of Lewis blood-group structures ('Lewis O-chains'), serotype O3 LPS produced 'Lewis O-chains' attached to a heptoglycan domain, serotype O4 LPS possessed LPS with glucosylated 'Lewis O-chains' and serotype O6 LPS expressed the heptoglycan domain capped by a short 'Lewis O-chain'. These LPSs were terminated at the reducing-end by a core oligosaccharide and lipid A of conserved structures. With the intent of formulating a multivalent H. pylori LPS-based vaccine, we are studying the structural variability of H. pylori cell-surface glycans. Here, we describe the novel LPS structure produced by H. pylori serotype O2 that differed markedly from the typical H. pylori 'Lewis O-chain' structures, in that its main component was an elongated PS composed of alternating 2-, and 3-monosubstituted alpha-D-Glcp residues [-->2)-alpha-D-Glcp-(1-->3)-alpha-D-Glcp-(1-->]n. These findings revealed the bio-molecular basis for the observed serospecificity of H. pylori serotype O2, and that this unique bacterial PS must be included in the formulation of a multivalent LPS H. pylori vaccine.     

Recombinant Sendai virus induces T cell immunity against respiratory syncytial virus that is protective in the absence of antibodies

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes severe respiratory disease in infants and a vaccine is highly desirable. The fusion (F) protein of RSV is an important vaccine target, but the contribution of F-specific T cells to successful vaccination remains unclear. We studied the immune response to vaccination of mice with a recombinant Sendai virus expressing RSV F (rSeV F). rSeV F induced protective neutralizing antibody and RSV F-specific CTL responses. T cell immunity was stronger than that induced by recombinant vaccinia virus (rVV F), a well characterized reference vector. Vaccination of antibody-deficient mice showed that vaccine-induced RSV F-specific T cells were sufficient for protective immunity. rSeV F induced T cell immunity in the presence of neutralizing antibodies, which did not impair the vaccine response. Although the F protein only contains a subdominant CTL epitope, vaccination with rSeV F is sufficient to induce protective T cell immunity against RSV in mice.     

Opportunities and strategies to further reduce animal use for Leptospira vaccine potency testing

Hamsters are routinely infected with virulent Leptospira for two purposes in the regulation of biologics: the performance of Codified potency tests and maintenance of challenge culture for the Codified potency tests. Options for reducing animal use in these processes were explored in a plenary lecture at the “International Workshop on Alternative Methods for Leptospira Vaccine Potency Testing: State of the Science and the Way Forward” held at the Center for Veterinary Biologics in September 2012. The use of validated in vitro potency assays such as those developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for Leptospira (L.) canicola, Leptospira grippotyphosa, Leptospira pomona, and Leptospira icterohaemorrhagiae rather than the Codified hamster vaccination–challenge assay was encouraged. Alternatives such as reduced animal numbers in the hamster vaccination–challenge testing were considered for problematic situations. Specifically, the merits of sharing challenge controls, reducing group sizes, and eliminating animals for concurrent challenge dose titration were assessed. Options for maintaining virulent, stable cultures without serial passage through hamsters or with decreased hamster use were also discussed. The maintenance of virulent Leptospira without the use of live animals is especially difficult since a reliable means to maintain virulence after multiple in vitro passages has not yet been identified.