Evaluation of Protective Efficacy of Selected Immunodominant B-Cell Epitopes within Virulent Surface Proteins of Streptococcus pneumoniae.

ABSTRACT: Four previously identified immunodominant B-cell epitopes, located within known virulent pneumococcal proteins CbpD, PhtD, PhtE, and ZmpB, had shown promising in vivo immunological characteristics, indicating their potential to be used as vaccine antigens. In this study, we further evaluated the opsonophagocytic activity of antibodies against these epitopes and their capacity to protect mice from pneumococcal sepsis. An opsonophagocytic killing assay (OPKA) revealed that OPKA titers of human anti-peptide antibodies against pneumococcal serotypes 1, 3, and 19A were significantly higher (P < 0.001) than those of the control sera, suggesting their functional potential against virulent clinical isolates. Data obtained from mice actively immunized with any of the selected epitope analogues or w

SUBMITTER: Papastamatiou T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5820952 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature