Meningitis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Meningitis, including details on viral, bacterial, spinal, symptoms, treatment.

Memory immune response generated in Cercopithecus aethiops against meningococcal polysaccharide serogroup C conjugate vaccine.

Carmenate T, Guirola M, Alvarez A, Canaán L, González S, Caballero E, Menéndez T, Guillén G

Centro de Ingeniería Genética y Biotecnología, Avenue 135, P.O. Box 6162, Havana 10600, Cuba. tania.carmenate@fq.uh.cu

The chemical conjugation of bacterial polysaccharide to carrier proteins has proved to be an efficient tool to improve the immunological response against these bacterial antigens. In this study, we characterized the antibody response generated in a non-human primate model against the meningococcal capsular polysaccharide serogroup C (CCPS) conjugated to the P64k protein. Similar to licensed vaccines the CCPS conjugate is able to generate a good memory immune response with antibody titers threefold higher than the free CCPS. Three different ELISA protocols were used to measure the antibody response and the importance of the coating antigen was demonstrated. The ELISA using the derivatized CCPS showed the best results and had a high correlation with the bactericidal activity. The antibodies elicited showed a high protective capacity when assayed in the infant rat protection model.

Published 31 January 2005 in FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol, 43(2): 133-40.
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