干旱区生态环境知识资源中心

Coccidioides immitis is endemic in the soil of the desert Southwest. It causes a respiratory infection that is usually mild, but can last months and may disseminate beyond the lung. Disseminated infections can be fatal or require life-long therapy. Development of an effective vaccine may be a successful method of preventing serious disease. In this paper, we show that immunostimulatory-oligodeoxynucleotides (ISS-ODN) are an effective adjuvant for a recombinant coccidioidal protein known as antigen 2/proline rich antigen. Protective immunity induced by this ISS-ODN-based vaccine requires IL-12, interferon-gamma and MHC Class II-restricted T-cells. Cytotoxic CD8 T-cells are not required. This study elucidates the mechanisms needed to elicit successful immunity against coccidioidomycosis, and holds promise for development of an effective coccidioidal vaccine against coccidioidomycosis. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.