Tularensis Live Vaccine Research Articles

2888. STAT4 Mutation in Three Generations with Disseminated Coccidioidomycosis (DCM) also Exhibits Increased Susceptibility to Coccidioidal Infection in Transfected Mice

BackgroundReported coccidioidomycosis has increased with case rates of 198/100,000 in Arizona (2012). In California alone, 2000–2011 hospitalizations were $2.2B. Dissemination occurs in 8% of reports with significant morbidity and occasional deaths. DCM was found in 3 generations: grandmother (skin), mother (skin), and son (bone). Whole exome sequencing identified a heterozygous (het) STAT4 mutation (p.E626G) in all three. This mutation alters the phosphotyrosine binding pocket and is predicted to impair STAT4 function, interfering with (i) receptor binding and phosphorylation, (ii) nuclear localization, and/or (iii) transcription. Expression profiling of antigen-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells from one patient showed dampening of known STAT4 targets compared with controls.MethodsSTAT4 p.E626G was generated and confirmed in C57BL/6NJ (WT) mice using CRISPR-Cas9. With continued breeding, neither homozygous (hom) nor het mice had gross abnormalities. There were normal spleen and lung lymphoid cell numbers. Thymus and bone marrow had normal development of lymphoid subsets. We performed intranasal infection with reduced virulence C. posadasii strain 1038 or with F. tularensis live vaccine- strain (LVS). Naïve or Δcps1-vaccinated mice were tested for resistance to C. posadasii strain Silveira.ResultsAt day 21 post Cp 1038 infection, hom, het, and WT mice had similar lung fungal burdens (~104.7 cfu). All p.E626G mice died between days 31 and 39 with lung burden significantly higher (~9 × 106 cfu) than WT sacrificed on day 44 (7 × 105 cfu, P = 0.015). After LVS infection, p.E626G mice had increased lung bacterial cfu and all had dissemination to the spleen compared with WT lung bacterial burden and no splenic dissemination. Immunized het and WT mice all had significantly reduced lung cfu 14 days following C. posadasii infection compared with unvaccinated WT mice.ConclusionThe STAT4 p.E626G mutated mouse recapitulated patients’ increased susceptibility to coccidioidal infection. The decreased fungal burdens seen in Δcps1-vaccinated mice suggest that vaccination may be effective in those persons genetically susceptible to DCM. Given the increasing frequency and economic burdens of coccidioidomycosis, pursuit of vaccination strategies should continue. Disclosures All Authors: No reported Disclosures.