Exacerbated Leishmaniasis Caused by a Viral Endosymbiont can be Prevented by Immunization with Its Viral Capsid.

ABSTRACT: Recent studies have shown that a cytoplasmic virus called Leishmaniavirus (LRV) is present in some Leishmania species and acts as a potent innate immunogen, aggravating lesional inflammation and development in mice. In humans, the presence of LRV in Leishmania guyanensis and in L. braziliensis was significantly correlated with poor treatment response and symptomatic relapse. So far, no clinical effort has used LRV for prophylactic purposes. In this context, we designed an original vaccine strategy that targeted LRV nested in Leishmania parasites to prevent virus-related complications. To this end, C57BL/6 mice were immunized with a recombinant LRV1 Leishmania guyanensis viral capsid polypeptide formulated with a T helper 1-polarizing adjuvant. LRV1-vaccinated mice had significant reduction

SUBMITTER: Castiglioni P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5242429 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature