Interleukin-12 response to NCSRS2 immunization of BALB/C mice against Neospora caninum.

• Autor(a) principal: GONÇALVES, K. N.
• Data de Publicação: 2008
• Outros Autores: ANDREOTTI, R., PAIVA, F., PONTES, E. R. J. C., LIMA JUNIOR, M. S. da C., OSHIRO, L. M., MATOS, M. de F. C.
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da EMBRAPA (Repository Open Access to Scientific Information from EMBRAPA - Alice)
• Texto Completo: http://www.alice.cnptia.embrapa.br/alice/handle/doc/573257
• topic: Escherichia Coli; Neospora Caninum; Neosporose; Parasito de Animal; Sanidade Animal; Vacina; Animal health; Animal parasites and pests; Immune response; Neosporosis; Vaccines

The apicomplexan parasite Neospora caninum can cause abortions and is recognized as an important causative agent responsible for economic and reproductive losses in the cattle industry. Humoral immune response was investigated in BALB/c mice by using recombinant NcSRS2 expressed in Escherichia coli as polyhistidine-tagged fusion proteins. NcSRS2 is the major immunodominant tachyzoite surface antigen of N. caninum. Separate groups of female BALB/c mice were infected subcutaneously with (P) PBS, (N) recNcSRS2, (NIL) recNcSRS2 plus interleukin-12 or (NF) recNcSRS2, in Freund?s adjuvant. Serological analysis showed that the antibodies produced by immunization recognized native protein from N. caninum tachyzoites and that, 14 days after the initial immunization, NcSRS2-specific antibodies were present in all sera tested from the groups N, NIL and NF. NcSRS2 with Freud?s adjuvant led to a stronger immune response, as measured by IgG1 and IgG2a levels, than did other formulations (NF > NIL > N > P; p < 0.001), with a Th2 bias. The results corroborate the potential use of recombinant protein NcSRS2 as a vaccine aimed at reducing congenital transmission. Further studies are required to identify new adjuvants capable of improving the induction of Th1 immune response.