Immunological Protection Against Botulinum Neurotoxin by a Synthetic Vaccine.
Abstract
Botulism due to food toxin is caused mainly by seven known serotypes of protein neurotoxins, botulinum neurotoxins (BoNt) produced by clostridium botulinum. BoNts are the most potent toxins and poisons known. The purpose of this work is to design a synthetic peptides vaccine for protection against BoNt. Regions of BoNt/A will be selected for synthesis, based on a number of sequence and conformational parameters and their immunological activities towards anti-BoNt/A antibodies and T cells determined. The immunodominant epitopes will be used as immunogens and those peptides which stimulate BoNt/A-cross reactive antibody and/or T cell responses will then be investigated for their capacity to provide active and passive immunity against BoNt/A challenge. The epitopes that are most protective when employed individually as immunogens will be used, in a mixture and in a multiepitope- carrier conjugate, as a vaccine for both active and passive protection of mice. The synthetic vaccine against BoNt/A will be used as a prototype to prepare synthetic vaccines containing the regions of the other serotypes that are counterparts to the regions found to be most protective on BoNt/A.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 10, 1995
- Accession Number
- ADA294146
Entities
People
- M. Z. Atassi
Organizations
- Baylor College of Medicine