Authors : Abbas Doosti , Pooria Ghasemi-Dehkordi , Gholam-Reza Javadi , Soroush Sardari and Mohammad Ali Shokrgozar
Abstract: Brucellosis is caused by different species of Brucella. Nowadays attenuated strains of Brucella are being used to control brucellosis in domestic animals and there is no safe and effective vaccine available for human. This study was designed to evaluate the immunogenicity and the protective efficacy of a DNA vaccine encoding the Brucella melitensis Omp31 protein designated Omp31-pcDNA3.1. Intramuscular injection of this DNA vaccine into BALB/c mice elicited markedly both humoral and cellular immune responses. The specific antibodies exhibited a dominance of immunoglobulin G2a over IgG1. In addition, the DNA vaccine elicited a T-cell-proliferative response and also induced the production of gamma interferon, but not IL-10 or IL-4, upon restimulation with either recombinant Omp31 or crude Brucella protein, suggesting the induction of a typical T-helper-1-dominated immune response in mice. The Omp31-pcDNA3.1 (but not the control vector) induced a strong, significant level of protection in BALB/c mice against challenge with B. melitensis virulent strain M16; the level of protection was similar to the one induced by B. melitensis vaccine strain Rev 1. Consequently, a genetic vaccine based on the Omp31 gene can elicit a strong cellular immune response and these data suggest that Omp31-pcDNA3.1 is a good candidate for use in future studies of vaccination against brucellosis.
Abbas Doosti , Pooria Ghasemi-Dehkordi , Gholam-Reza Javadi , Soroush Sardari and Mohammad Ali Shokrgozar , 2009. DNA Vaccine Encoding the Omp31 Gene of Brucella melitensis Induces Protective Immunity in BALB/c Mice. Research Journal of Biological Sciences, 4: 126-131.