Journal of Vaccines & Vaccination

Host response to radiation and passive transfer of immunity against Francisella tularensis

International Conference & Exhibition on Vaccines & Vaccination

22-24 Nov 2011 Philadelphia Airport Marriott, USA

Kubelkova K, Krocova Z and Macela A

Posters: J Vaccines Vaccin

Abstract:

Th e protective immunity against tularaemia can be seen to be a complex inter play among humoral and cell-mediated immune mechanisms which ensure the elimination of Francisella tularensis (F. tularensis) microbes from cells and tissues of infected individuals. We investigated the immune response induced by the F. tularensis strain 15L and F. tularensis live vaccine strain (LVS). Before infection, Balb/c or C3H/CBi mice were intraperitoneally (i.p.) injected with serum obtained from immunized mice with F. tularensis LVS (resp. 15L) or heat-killed F. tularensis LVS (resp. 15L). Both serum LVS (resp. 15L) and heat-killed LVS (resp. 15L) from immune mice transfer protection to naive recipient. Th us immunized mice were infected with sublethal or lethal doses of F. tularensis LVS (rep. 15L). Our fi ndings clearly demonstrate that F. tularensis specifi c antibodies produced in immunized mice with both live and heat- killed F. tularensis LVS (resp. 15L) were completely protective in passive transfer experiments and likewise in subsequent highly-virulent strain infection. Here we also characterize and acknowledge immunogenic repertoire of F. tularensis LVS for the purpose of fi nding potential target molecules that can activate the host immune system using general immunoproteomic approach. Seeing that the contributory role of specifi c antibodies in the host defence still remains unclear, we used irradiated mice to elucidate and characterize the humoral role of antibodies during immune response. Moreover using irradiated mice, we partly sought to disprove the crucial role of T cell-mediated protective immunity and the role of Th 1/Th 2 cytokines.

Biography :

KUBELKOVA KLARA is Ph.D student of Institute of Molecular Pathology and the research member of radiological-nuclear group of Center of Advanced Studies at the Faculty of Military Health Sciences of University of Defence, Czech Republic.