Presenting Author: Annabelle Pfeifle
, PhD student at Univ. Ottawa
Abstract:
Lyme disease (LD) is the most common vector-borne illness in North America. The annual incidence of LD has risen drastically over the past decade, nearing an estimated half a million cases last year. LD is caused by infection with the bacteria B. burgdorferi, which is transmitted by a tick vector. Currently, there is no vaccine available for the prevention of LD in humans, emphasizing the need for novel vaccine development strategies. In this study, we engineered a modified Vaccinia virus to express the outer surface protein C (OspC) of B. burgdorferi (VV-OspC). Six-week old C3H/HeN mice were prime and boost vaccinated intramuscularly with the VV-OspC vaccine one month prior to subcutaneous needle challenge with B. burgdorferi. The candidate vaccine was found to elicit high titres of OspC-specific antibodies with a Th1-bias that were capable of inducing phagocytosis of B.Burgdorferi in vitro. VV-OspC was also found to induce a balanced cell-mediated cytokine response in the spleen. Furthermore, qPCR analysis of the bacterial burden revealed that the candidate vaccine afforded complete protection against infection and bacterial dissemination two weeks post-challenge. Vaccinated mice were also protected against clinical signs of Lyme disease, including carditis and lymphadenopathy. Overall, the results of this study provide support for the use of a viral-vector vaccine platform for the development of LD vaccines.
Vaccinia viral-vector vaccine targeting outer surface protein C protects against Lyme disease in mice
Category
Poster and Podium (Block Symposium)
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Date: May 4 Presentation Time: 11:30 AM to 12:45 PM Room: Exhibit Hall F1