• Vaccine Name: L. major H2B Protein Vaccine
• Target Pathogen: Leishmania major
• Target Disease: Cutaneous leishmaniasis
• Vaccine Ontology ID: VO_0004045
• Type: Subunit vaccine
• Status: Research
• Host Species as Laboratory Animal Model: mouse
• Antigen: The divergent amino-terminal region of H2B (Chenik et al., 2006).
• H2B gene engineering:
  • Type: Recombinant protein preparation
  • Description:
  • Detailed Gene Information: Click Here.
• Adjuvant:
  • Adjuvant name:
  • VO adjuvant ID: VO_0001237
• Immunization Route: Subcutaneous injection
• Description: An L. major subunit vaccine that is made of H2B protein and CpG adjuvant.

Mouse Response

• Host Strain: BALB/c
• Vaccination Protocol: Three groups of mice were injected with 25 μg of either one of the three recombinant proteins (H2B, H2BΔN46 or H2BΔC65) with CpG. Three additional control groups received adjuvant (CpG or non-CpG) or PBS alone. Each mouse received two subcutaneous (s.c.) injections in the left footpad in a volume of 50 μl at 15 days intervals (Chenik et al., 2006).
• Challenge Protocol: Four weeks after the second dose, mice were infected in the right footpad with 2 × 10^6 L. major metacyclic promastigotes, in 50 μl of PBS (Chenik et al., 2006).
• Efficacy: The divergent amino-terminal region of H2B is able to confer potent protection against a virulent challenge in BALB/c mice. Mice immunized with the amino-terminal part of H2B in presence of CpG are more resistant than those immunized, in the same conditions, by the whole protein (p < 0.05, from week 5) after L. major challenge (Chenik et al., 2006).