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van Schaik EJ, Fratzke AP, Gregory AE, Dumaine JE, Samuel JE. Vaccine development: obligate intracellular bacteria new tools, old pathogens: the current state of vaccines against obligate intracellular bacteria. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2024; 14:1282183. [PMID: 38567021 PMCID: PMC10985213 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2024.1282183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Obligate intracellular bacteria have remained those for which effective vaccines are unavailable, mostly because protection does not solely rely on an antibody response. Effective antibody-based vaccines, however, have been developed against extracellular bacteria pathogens or toxins. Additionally, obligate intracellular bacteria have evolved many mechanisms to subvert the immune response, making vaccine development complex. Much of what we know about protective immunity for these pathogens has been determined using infection-resolved cases and animal models that mimic disease. These studies have laid the groundwork for antigen discovery, which, combined with recent advances in vaccinology, should allow for the development of safe and efficacious vaccines. Successful vaccines against obligate intracellular bacteria should elicit potent T cell memory responses, in addition to humoral responses. Furthermore, they ought to be designed to specifically induce strong cytotoxic CD8+ T cell responses for protective immunity. This review will describe what we know about the potentially protective immune responses to this group of bacteria. Additionally, we will argue that the novel delivery platforms used during the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic should be excellent candidates to produce protective immunity once antigens are discovered. We will then look more specifically into the vaccine development for Rickettsiaceae, Coxiella burnetti, and Anaplasmataceae from infancy until today. We have not included Chlamydia trachomatis in this review because of the many vaccine related reviews that have been written in recent years.
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Affiliation(s)
- E J van Schaik
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Medical Research and Education Building, Bryan, TX, United States
| | - A P Fratzke
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Medical Research and Education Building, Bryan, TX, United States
- Charles River Laboratories, Reno, NV, United States
| | - A E Gregory
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Medical Research and Education Building, Bryan, TX, United States
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
| | - Jennifer E Dumaine
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Medical Research and Education Building, Bryan, TX, United States
| | - J E Samuel
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis and Immunology, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Medical Research and Education Building, Bryan, TX, United States
- Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University (TAMU), College Station, TX, United States
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Kim CG, Kim WK, Kim N, Pyung YJ, Park DJ, Lee JC, Cho CS, Chu H, Yun CH. Intranasal Immunization With Nanoparticles Containing an Orientia tsutsugamushi Protein Vaccine Candidate and a Polysorbitol Transporter Adjuvant Enhances Both Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses. Immune Netw 2023; 23:e47. [PMID: 38188601 PMCID: PMC10767547 DOI: 10.4110/in.2023.23.e47] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Scrub typhus, a mite-borne infectious disease, is caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi. Despite many attempts to develop a protective strategy, an effective preventive vaccine has not been developed. The identification of appropriate Ags that cover diverse antigenic strains and provide long-lasting immunity is a fundamental challenge in the development of a scrub typhus vaccine. We investigated whether this limitation could be overcome by harnessing the nanoparticle-forming polysorbitol transporter (PST) for an O. tsutsugamushi vaccine strategy. Two target proteins, 56-kDa type-specific Ag (TSA56) and surface cell Ag A (ScaA) were used as vaccine candidates. PST formed stable nano-size complexes with TSA56 (TSA56-PST) and ScaA (ScaA-PST); neither exhibited cytotoxicity. The formation of Ag-specific IgG2a, IgG2b, and IgA in mice was enhanced by intranasal vaccination with TSA56-PST or ScaA-PST. The vaccines containing PST induced Ag-specific proliferation of CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. Furthermore, the vaccines containing PST improved the mouse survival against O. tsutsugamushi infection. Collectively, the present study indicated that PST could enhance both Ag-specific humoral immunity and T cell response, which are essential to effectively confer protective immunity against O. tsutsugamushi infection. These findings suggest that PST has potential for use in an intranasal vaccination strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheol Gyun Kim
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
- Bio-MAX/N-Bio, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Won Kyong Kim
- Division of Zoonotic and Vector Borne Disease Research, Center for Infectious Disease Research, National Institute of Health, Cheongju 28159, Korea
| | - Narae Kim
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Young Jin Pyung
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Da-Jeong Park
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Jeong-Cheol Lee
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Chong-Su Cho
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
| | - Hyuk Chu
- Division of Zoonotic and Vector Borne Disease Research, Center for Infectious Disease Research, National Institute of Health, Cheongju 28159, Korea
| | - Cheol-Heui Yun
- Department of Agricultural Biotechnology, and Research Institute of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
- Center for Food and Bioconvergence, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
- Institutes of Green-bio Science and Technology, Seoul National University, Pyeongchang 25354, Korea
- Interdisciplinary Programs in Agricultural Genomics, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Korea
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Park J, Zhang Z, Belinskaya T, Tsoras AN, Chao CC, Jiang L, Champion JA. Dual-Antigen Subunit Vaccine Nanoparticles for Scrub Typhus. Pathogens 2023; 12:1390. [PMID: 38133275 PMCID: PMC10745692 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12121390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Orientia tsutsugamushi is the causative pathogen of scrub typhus, an acute febrile disease prevalent in the Asia-Pacific region that is spread to people through chigger bites. Despite the emerging threat, there is no currently available vaccine against O. tsutsugamushi. Here, we developed dual-antigen subunit vaccine nanoparticles using recombinant 47 kD and 56 kD proteins, which are immunogenic outer membrane antigens of O. tsutsugamushi. The biocompatible protein vaccine nanoparticles were formed via desolvation of r56 or r47E antigens with acetone, coating with an additional layer of the 56 kD protein, and stabilization with reducible homobifunctional DTSSP and heterobifunctional SDAD crosslinkers. The dual-antigen subunit vaccine nanoparticles significantly improved antigen-specific antibody responses in vaccinated mice. Most importantly, the dual-antigen nanoparticles coated with an additional layer of the 56 kD protein were markedly more immunogenic than soluble antigens or single-antigen nanoparticles in the context of cellular immune responses. Given the significance of cellular immune responses for protection against O. tsutsugamushi, these results demonstrate the potent immunogenicity of dual-layered antigen nanoparticles and their potential as a promising strategy for developing vaccines against scrub typhus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaeyoung Park
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 950 Atlantic Dr. NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; (J.P.); (A.N.T.)
| | - Zhiwen Zhang
- Henry Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, 6720A Rockledge Dr, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA; (Z.Z.); (T.B.)
- Naval Medical Research Center, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA;
| | - Tatyana Belinskaya
- Henry Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, 6720A Rockledge Dr, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA; (Z.Z.); (T.B.)
- Naval Medical Research Center, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA;
| | - Alexandra N. Tsoras
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 950 Atlantic Dr. NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; (J.P.); (A.N.T.)
| | - Chien-Chung Chao
- Naval Medical Research Center, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA;
| | - Le Jiang
- Henry Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, 6720A Rockledge Dr, Bethesda, MD 20817, USA; (Z.Z.); (T.B.)
- Naval Medical Research Center, 503 Robert Grant Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA;
| | - Julie A. Champion
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 950 Atlantic Dr. NW, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA; (J.P.); (A.N.T.)
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Yi EJ, Kim YI, Song JH, Ko HJ, Chang SY. Intranasal immunization with curdlan induce Th17 responses and enhance protection against enterovirus 71. Vaccine 2023; 41:2243-2252. [PMID: 36863926 DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.01.074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Revised: 11/28/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Abstract
Mucosal surfaces are in contact with the external environment and protect the body from infection by various microbes. To prevent infectious diseases at the first line of defense, the establishment of pathogen-specific mucosal immunity by mucosal vaccine delivery is needed. Curdlan, a 1,3-β-glucan has a strong immunostimulatory effect when delivered as a vaccine adjuvant. Here, we investigated whether intranasal administration of curdlan and antigen (Ag) could induce sufficient mucosal immune responses and protect against viral infections. Intranasal co-administration of curdlan and OVA increased OVA-specific IgG and IgA Abs in both serum and mucosal secretions. In addition, intranasal co-administration of curdlan and OVA induced the differentiation of OVA-specific Th1/Th17 cells in the draining lymph nodes. To investigate the protective immunity of curdlan against viral infection, intranasal co-administration of curdlan with recombinant VP1 of EV71 C4a was administered and showed enhanced protection against enterovirus 71 in a passive serum transfer model using neonatal hSCARB2 mice, although intranasal administration of VP1 plus curdlan increased VP1-specific helper T cells responses but not mucosal IgA. Next, Mongolian gerbils were intranasally immunized with curdlan plus VP1, and they had effective protection against EV71 C4a infection, while decreasing viral infection and tissue damage by inducing Th17 responses. These results indicated that intranasal curdlan with Ag improved Ag-specific protective immunity by enhancing mucosal IgA and Th17 against viral infection. Our results suggest that curdlan is an advantageous candidate as a mucosal adjuvant and delivery vehicle for the development of mucosal vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eun-Je Yi
- Laboratory of Microbiology, College of Pharmacy, and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology (RIPST), Ajou University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 16499, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-In Kim
- Laboratory of Microbiology, College of Pharmacy, and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology (RIPST), Ajou University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 16499, Republic of Korea; AI-Superconvergence KIURI Translational Research Center, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 16499, Republic of Korea
| | - Jae-Hyoung Song
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Pharmacy, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do 24341, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun-Jeong Ko
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Pharmacy, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do 24341, Republic of Korea
| | - Sun-Young Chang
- Laboratory of Microbiology, College of Pharmacy, and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology (RIPST), Ajou University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do 16499, Republic of Korea.
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Walker DH, Mendell NL. A scrub typhus vaccine presents a challenging unmet need. NPJ Vaccines 2023; 8:11. [PMID: 36759505 PMCID: PMC9910236 DOI: 10.1038/s41541-023-00605-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Scrub typhus caused by the obligately intracellular bacterium, Orientia tsutsugamushi, is a major cause of life-threatening acute undifferentiated febrile illness in eastern Asia and the islands of the Western Pacific and Indian oceans. Since the estimation of an incidence of 1 million cases annually two decades ago, the number of cases has increased substantially in endemic regions, reappeared where the disease was forgotten, and spread northward. Trombiculid mites are both reservoir and vector. Despite 80 years of efforts to develop a vaccine, there is none. Protective immunity is mediated by antibodies and CD8 and CD4 T cells. Previous efforts have failed because of gaps in understanding immunity to O. tsutsugamushi, particularly the requirements for vaccine-induced immunity, lack of knowledge regarding immune memory in scrub typhus, and lack of attention to addressing the issue of cross-protection between strains. There are numerous strains of O. tsutsugamushi, and modestly durable immunity is strain-specific. Antibodies to the strain that caused infection are protective against challenges with the homologous strain but, despite reactivity with other immunodominant antigens, the immune serum does not protect against heterologous strains. Among the antigens detected by western immunoblot in immune sera (22-, 47-, 56-, 58-, and 110 kDa proteins), only the 56 kDa protein stimulates strong protection. This protein contains four hypervariable regions which are likely, on the basis of limited data, to be the targets of neutralizing antibodies. However, a method that definitively detects neutralizing antibody has yet to be developed. Only one study has used genomic data to pursue the discovery of protective antigens. Three conserved autotransporters were identified, and only immunization with ScaA provided protection against the homologous strain, but only 40% of animals were protected against challenge with a heterologous strain. A multiplex vaccine containing conformational antigens of the hypervariable regions of the 56 kDa protein of the strains of the greatest clinical and epidemiological importance, as well as conserved regions of the 56 kDa protein, ScaA, and other protective antigens identified by future genomic and bioinformatics methods should be developed and tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- David H. Walker
- grid.176731.50000 0001 1547 9964Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, TX 77555 USA
| | - Nicole L. Mendell
- grid.176731.50000 0001 1547 9964Department of Pathology, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, 301 University Blvd., Galveston, TX 77555 USA
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