Development of an intranasal vaccine to prevent urinary tract infection by Proteus mirabilis

Infect Immun. 2004 Jan;72(1):66-75. doi: 10.1128/IAI.72.1.66-75.2004.

Abstract

Proteus mirabilis commonly infects the complicated urinary tract and is associated with urolithiasis. Stone formation is caused by bacterial urease, which hydrolyzes urea to ammonia, causing local pH to rise, and leads to the subsequent precipitation of magnesium ammonium phosphate (struvite) and calcium phosphate (apatite) crystals. To prevent these infections, we vaccinated CBA mice with formalin-killed bacteria or purified mannose-resistant, Proteus-like (MR/P) fimbriae, a surface antigen expressed by P. mirabilis during experimental urinary tract infection, via four routes of immunization: subcutaneous, intranasal, transurethral, and oral. We assessed the efficacy of vaccination using the CBA mouse model of ascending urinary tract infection. Subcutaneous or intranasal immunization with formalin-killed bacteria and intranasal or transurethral immunization with purified MR/P fimbriae significantly protected CBA mice from ascending urinary tract infection by P. mirabilis (P < 0.05). To investigate the potential of MrpH, the MR/P fimbrial tip adhesin, as a vaccine, the mature MrpH peptide (residues 23 to 275, excluding the signal peptide), and the N-terminal receptor-binding domain of MrpH (residues 23 to 157) were overexpressed as C-terminal fusions to maltose-binding protein (MBP) and purified on amylose resins. Intranasal immunization of CBA mice with MBP-MrpH (residues 23 to 157) conferred effective protection against urinary tract infection by P. mirabilis (P < 0.002).

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adhesins, Bacterial / genetics
  • Adhesins, Bacterial / immunology
  • Administration, Intranasal
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Bacterial / blood
  • Bacterial Vaccines / administration & dosage*
  • Bacterial Vaccines / immunology
  • Fimbriae Proteins / genetics
  • Fimbriae Proteins / immunology
  • Formaldehyde / pharmacology
  • Immunization
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred CBA
  • Proteus Infections / microbiology
  • Proteus Infections / prevention & control*
  • Proteus mirabilis / growth & development
  • Proteus mirabilis / immunology*
  • Urinary Tract Infections / microbiology
  • Urinary Tract Infections / prevention & control*
  • Vaccines, DNA / administration & dosage
  • Vaccines, DNA / immunology
  • Vaccines, Inactivated / administration & dosage
  • Vaccines, Inactivated / immunology

Substances

  • Adhesins, Bacterial
  • Antibodies, Bacterial
  • Bacterial Vaccines
  • MrpH protein, Proteus mirabilis
  • Vaccines, DNA
  • Vaccines, Inactivated
  • Fimbriae Proteins
  • Formaldehyde