Evaluating the immune responses stimulated by CpG oligodeoxynucleotides.

CpG oligonucleotides have recently been highlighted as an immunomodulator that biases toward a Th1-dominant phenotype. To substantiate the synergism between CpG-ODNs and Ag, we introduced a linked conjugate between CpG-ODNs and Ag and the antiviral effect of antigen-conjugated CpG-ODNs therapy following an infection of mice with the influenza virus A. We found that the conjugate inhibited the influenza virus infection more efficiently than the coadministration of the unconjugated CpG-ODNs and the Ag mixture. CpG-ODNs is effective in immunity induction and will be useful in treating virus infections.