Protection against infection in mice vaccinated with a Brucella abortus mutant.

This study determines whether a genetically engineered mutant of Brucella abortus, strain M-1, possesses differences in protective properties compared to the parental strain, vaccine S19. M-1 is a mutant unable to express BP26, a periplasmic protein with potential use in diagnosis. Mice vaccinated with S19 developed antibodies against BP26, while those vaccinated with M-1 did not. However, mice vaccinated with S19 or M-1 were similarly protected against challenge with pathogenic strain 2308, suggesting that the lack of BP26 does not affect the induction of the protective immune response exerted by S19. These and previous results showing that bacterial invasion and growth or replication in mouse spleens were indistinguishable between strains M-1 and S19 could indicate that the mutant is an attenuated strain which maintains the same protective properties as S19.