The Journal of Medical Microbiology, Vol 40, Issue 4 261-269, Copyright © 1994 by Society for General Microbiology
IgG subclass response and protection against challenge following immunisation of mice with various influenza A vaccines
E. T. Ben-Ahmeida, C. W. Potter, G. Gregoriadis, C. Adithan and R. Jennings
Department of Experimental and Clinical Microbiology, University of Sheffield Medical School.
The serum total IgG and IgG subclass and nasal wash IgA and IgG antibody
responses of mice to influenza virus A/Hong Kong/68 (H3N2) subunit
preparations administered parenterally as a single dose, incorporated
either in immune stimulatory compounds (ISCOMs) or liposomes with Freund's
Complete Adjuvant, or as an aqueous material, as well as to live,
infectious virus were measured by ELISA at 10 days and 3, 5, 7 and 22 weeks
after immunisation. The protection of the upper and lower respiratory
tracts provided by these preparations against homologous and heterologous
challenge infection was assessed. Of the four variously-presented subunit
preparations, influenza subunit ISCOMs induced relatively high and
persisting levels of each of the different IgG subclasses, particularly
IgG2a, throughout the study, and most nearly approached those observed
after intranasal infection of mice with infectious virus. Furthermore,
nasal wash IgA and IgG antibody levels, particularly at 5 or 7 weeks after
immunisation, were also significantly greater in mice given the subunit
ISCOM preparation than those induced by other subunit preparations with
adjuvant or subunits given alone, and provided protection of both the upper
and lower respiratory tracts against challenge as similar to that elicited
by infectious virus.
