Plague Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Plague, including details on bubonic plague, yersinia pestis, infection, types, treatment.

A Yersinia pestis lpxM-mutant live vaccine induces enhanced immunity against bubonic plague in mice and guinea pigs.

Feodorova VA, Pan'kina LN, Savostina EP, Sayapina LV, Motin VL, Dentovskaya SV, Shaikhutdinova RZ, Ivanov SA, Lindner B, Kondakova AN, Bystrova OV, Kocharova NA, Senchenkova SN, Holst O, Pier GB, Knirel YA, Anisimov AP

Russian State Anti-Plague Research Institute Microbe, 46 Universitetskaya Street, Saratov 410005, Russia. feodorova@san.ru

The lpxM mutant of the live vaccine Yersinia pestis EV NIIEG strain synthesising a less toxic penta-acylated lipopolysaccharide was found to be avirulent in mice and guinea pigs, notably showing no measurable virulence in Balb/c mice which do retain some susceptibility to the parental strain itself. Twenty-one days after a single injection of the lpxM-mutant, 85-100% protection was achieved in outbred mice and guinea pigs, whereas a 43% protection rate was achieved in Balb/c mice given single low doses (10(3) to 2.5 x 10(4) CFU) of this vaccine. A subcutaneous challenge with 2000 median lethal doses (equal to 20,000 CFU) of fully virulent Y. pestis 231 strain, is a 6-10-fold higher dose than that which the EV NIIEG itself can protect against.

Published 15 October 2007 in Vaccine, 25(44): 7620-8.
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