Vaccination with a formalin-killed P-fimbriated E. coli whole-cell vaccine prevents renal scarring from pyelonephritis in the non-human primate

Abstract

A formalin-killed P-fimbriated Escherichia coli serotype O4 vaccine was evaluated for protective efficacy in monkeys in an experimental pyelonephritis model following urethral bacterial inoculation. The vaccination did not protect against initial colonization and there were no significant differences in the time of bacteriuria after experimental infection in the two groups of animals. The whole-cell vaccine offers a limited protection against renal dysfunction and scarring ( p = 0.002) and less renal involvement ( p = 0.04), results that are quite similar to those given by a synthetic O-antigen-specific saccharide-protein conjugate vaccine previously tested.