Abstract
We have evaluated the influence of age and immunization routes for induction of HIV-1- and M. tuberculosis-specific immune responses after neonatal (7 days old) and adult (7 weeks old) BALB/c mice immunization with BCG.HIVA222 prime and MVA.HIVA boost. The specific HIV-1 cellular immune responses were analyzed in spleen cells. The body weight of the newborn mice was weekly recorded. The frequencies of HIV-specific CD8+ T cells producing IFN-γ were higher in adult mice vaccinated intradermally and lower in adult and newborn mice vaccinated subcutaneously. In all cases the IFN-γ production was significantly higher when mice were primed with BCG.HIVA222 compared with BCGwt. When the HIV-specific CTL activity was assessed, the frequencies of specific killing were higher in newborn mice than in adults. The prime-boost vaccination regimen which includes BCG.HIVA222 and MVA.HIVA was safe when inoculated to newborn mice. The administration of BCG.HIVA222 to newborn mice is safe and immunogenic and increased the HIV-specific responses induced by MVA.HIVA vaccine. It might be a good model for infant HIV and Tuberculosis bivalent vaccine.
Highlights
According to the last AIDS epidemic update released by UNAIDS on November 2010, an estimated 33.3 million people are currently living with HIV, and 2.6 million individuals became newly infected with the virus in 2009
We have evaluated the influence of age and immunization routes for induction of HIV-1- and M. tuberculosis-specific immune responses after neonatal (7 days old) and adult (7 weeks old) BALB/c mice immunization with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG).HIVA222 prime and modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA).HIVA boost
HIVA immunogen consists of consensus HIV-1 clade A gag p24/p17 domains coupled with a string of CD8+ T-cell epitopes and monoclonal antibody tag Pk [13]
Summary
According to the last AIDS epidemic update released by UNAIDS on November 2010, an estimated 33.3 million people are currently living with HIV, and 2.6 million individuals became newly infected with the virus in 2009. It is estimated that 97% of these new infections occur in low- and middle-income countries, where ensuring universal access to antiretrovirals still represents an enormous challenge [1, 2]. In some sub-Saharan countries, the HIV prevalence among pregnant women can be over 30%. Around 35% of HIV-positive pregnant women are receiving antiretroviral therapy [1], reducing significantly mother-tochild transmission of HIV at delivery, the drugs have a high cost, have to be administrated after delivery, and maintained during the breastfeeding period, and the efficacy could be reduced due to emergence of resistant mutants
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