DNA vaccine induces protective capsular polysaccharide antibody response.

2003 DEC 3 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A multi-epitope DNA vaccine encoding a peptide mimic of meningococcal serogroup C capsular polysaccharide induced a protective capsular polysaccharide antibody response.

According to a study from the United States, "Systemic infection by encapsulated organisms, such as Neisseria meningitidis, is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially in individuals less than two years of age. Antibodies directed at the capsular polysaccharide are shown to be protective against disease by inducing complement-dependent bactericidal activity. The current polysaccharide vaccine has been shown to be poorly immunogenic in high-risk groups and this is probably related to its T-independent properties."

"An alternative approach to eliciting a T-dependent serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody response to encapsulated pathogens is DNA vaccination," said Deborah M. Prinz and colleagues at the Medical College of Ohio and the University of Arkansas. "We assessed the immunogenicity of a multi-epitope DNA vaccine encoding a T-cell helper epitope and a peptide mimic of N. meningitidis serogroup C. The DNA ...