Immunization with an Autotransporter Protein of Orientia tsutsugamushi Provides Protective Immunity against Scrub Typhus |
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| Authors: | Na-Young Ha Prashant Sharma Gwanghun Kim Yuri Kim Chan-Ki Min Myung-Sik Choi Ik-Sang Kim Nam-Hyuk Cho |
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| Affiliation: | 1 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea, ; 2 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea, ; 3 Institute of Endemic Disease, Seoul National University Medical Research Center and Bundang Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea, ; University of Texas Medical Branch, UNITED STATES, |
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| Abstract: | BackgroundScrub typhus is an acute febrile disease caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi infection. Recently, the rapid increase of scrub typhus incidence in several countries within the endemic region has become a serious public health issue. Despite the wide range of preventative approaches that have been attempted in the past 70 years, all have failed to develop an effective prophylactic vaccine. Currently, the selection of the proper antigens is one of the critical barriers to generating cross-protective immunity against antigenically-variable strains of O. tsutsugamushi.Conclusions/SignificanceImmunization of ScaA proteins provides protective immunity in mice when challenged with the homologous strain and significantly enhanced protective immunity against infection with heterologous strains. To our knowledge, this is the most promising result of scrub typhus vaccination trials against infection of heterologous strains in mouse models thus far. |
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