Publications by authors named "Celina Castuma"

Outer membrane vesicles (OMV) derived from the etiologic agent of the resurgent disease called pertussis-are safe and effective in preventing bacterial colonization in the lungs of immunized mice. Vaccine formulations containing those OMV are capable of inducing a mixed Th1/Th2/Th17 profile, but even more interestingly, they may induce a tissue-resident memory immune response. This immune response is recommended for the new generation of pertussis-vaccines that must be developed to overcome the weaknesses of current commercial acellular vaccines (second-generation of pertussis vaccine).

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is a respiratory-disease pathogen producing symptomatology similar to that of pertussis but of underestimated incidence and with no specific vaccine existing. We recently designed a vaccine candidate from outer-membrane vesicles (OMVs) that proved to be safe and protective in a murine-infection model. Based on protection recently reported for the O antigen in aqueous solution, we assessed here whether the O-antigen-containing lipopolysaccharide (BppLPS-O) embedded in the membranes, as present in -derived OMVs (OMVs(Bpp-LPS-O)), was the component responsible for that previously observed protection by OMVs.

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Maternal safety through pertussis vaccination and subsequent maternal-fetal-antibody transfer are well documented, but information on infant protection from pertussis by such antibodies and by subsequent vaccinations is scarce. Since mice are used extensively for maternal-vaccination studies, we adopted that model to narrow those gaps in our understanding of maternal pertussis immunization. Accordingly, we vaccinated female mice with commercial acellular pertussis (aP) vaccine and measured offspring protection against challenge and specific-antibody levels with or without revaccination.

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Pertussis has resurged during the last two decades in different countries. In particular in the 2010-2013 period large outbreaks were detected in US, Australia, UK and The Netherlands with significant mortality in infants. The epidemiological situation of pertussis points out the need to develop new vaccines and in this regard we previously developed a new vaccine based on outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) which have been shown to be safe and to induce protection in mice.

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This study examined the immunogenic properties of the fusion protein fimbria 2 of Bordetella pertussis (Fim2)-cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) in the intranasal murine model of infection. To this end B. pertussis Fim2 coding sequence was cloned downstream of the cholera toxin B subunit coding sequence.

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Despite high vaccination coverage rates, pertussis continues to be a global concern, with increased incidence widely noted. The current pertussis epidemiologic situation has been mainly attributed to waning immunity and pathogen adaptation. To improve the disease control, a new generation of vaccines capable to overcome those weaknesses associated to the current vaccines need to be developed.

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