A novel guinea pig model of Chlamydia trachomatis genital tract infection.

Genital Chlamydia trachomatis infections often result in pelvic inflammatory disease and sequelae including infertility and ectopic pregnancies. In addition to the already established murine models, the development of other animal models is necessary to study the safety and efficacy of prototype vaccine candidates. The intravaginal infection of guinea pigs with C.

Potentiation of humoral immune responses to vaccine antigens by recombinant chicken IL-18 (rChIL-18).

Mammalian interleukin-18 (IL-18) is one of the pro-inflammatory cytokines involved in innate immune responses to microbial infection preceding the induction of both cellular and humoral immune responses. We assessed the potential of Escherichia coli-expressed His-tag purified recombinant chicken IL-18 (rHis-ChIL-18) as a potentiator of vaccine-induced immune responses in 3 week-old SPF chickens and compared it with several commonly used traditional immunostimulating adjuvants. We found that rHis-ChIL-18 significantly enhanced antibody responses to Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxoid and Newcastle disease virus (NDV) antigens, comparable to the Al(OH)3-gel, Miglyol and chitosan adjuvant.

Identification and molecular cloning of functional chicken IL-12.

By a combination of large-scale sequencing, bioinformatics, and traditional molecular biology, we identified the long-searched-for cDNA sequences encoding the homologues of the chicken IL-12p35 and IL-12p40 chains. These molecules are the first discovered nonmammalian IL-12 subunits. The homologies of the chicken IL-12p35 and IL-12p40 proteins to the corresponding known subunits of various species, i.

The contribution of humoral immunity to the control of avian reoviral infection in chickens after vaccination with live reovirus vaccine (strain 2177) at an early age.

The presence of maternal immunity in broilers does not preclude the successful protective immunization with an attenuated live reovirus vaccine at 1-day-old. This was recently demonstrated in a reovirus challenge model based on reovirus isolation from different organs (van Loon et al., 2002).

Facilitation of antibody forming responses to viral vaccine antigens in young cats by recombinant baculovirus-expressed feline IFN-gamma.

We assessed the effect of recombinant feline IFN-gamma as vaccine adjuvant for in vivo antibody responses of young 3-month-old kittens to inactivated antigens of rabies and calicivirus, both natural pathogens for cats. When compared to responses following immunization with antigen alone co-administration of baculovirus-expressed cat IFN-gamma significantly enhanced serum antibody titers to both viral antigens; to levels comparable with responses evoked by commonly known saponin and alum adjuvants. Adjuvanticity by feline IFN-gamma was dose-dependent and all doses tested were well tolerated.

Production of biologically active equine interleukin 12 through expression of p35, p40 and single chain IL-12 in mammalian and baculovirus expression systems.

Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is a key cytokine in the development of cell-mediated immune responses. Bioactive IL-12 is a heterodimeric cytokine composed of disulphide linked p35 and p40 subunits. The aim of this study was to verify biologically activity of the products expressed from equine interleukin-12 (IL-12) p35 and p40 cDNAs and to establish whether equine IL-12 could be expressed as a p35/p40 fusion polypeptide, as has been reported for IL-12a of several mammalian species.