Preclinical Assessment of the Immunogenicity of Experimental Leishmania Vaccines.

Leishmaniases are neglected diseases caused by Leishmania parasites and affect millions of people worldwide. The induction of protective immunity against infection by some species of Leishmania has stimulated the development of vaccine candidates against the disease. In this chapter we describe protocols for immunizing mice with a recombinant chimera vaccine containing selected epitopes that specifically stimulate a Th1-type immune response. We describe protocols for challenging mice with live Leishmania parasite and for measuring parameters of the immune response to vaccination and parasite infection, including the production of cytokines, nitric oxide, and IgG antibodies, and the contribution of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. We also provide protocols for isolating mouse organs for cell culture and for quantifying parasite loads in unvaccinated control animals and in vaccine-protected animals. These protocols can form the basis of immunological studies of candidate Leishmania vaccines in the mouse, as a step toward further vaccine development for human use.