Mongolian Gerbil Response
- Vaccination Protocol: Adult male gerbils were immunized by intraperitoneal or subcutaneous injection of 10 ,ug of the affinity-purified lectin emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant (GIBCO, Grand Island, N.Y.) and boosted with 10 ,ug of the lectin in incomplete Freund's adjuvant at 2 and 4 weeks. Control gerbils were sham immunized with Freund's complete and incomplete adjuvants alone. Prechallenge gerbil sera were collected at 5 weeks after the initial immunization by cardiac puncture (Petri and Ravdin, 1991).
- Challenge Protocol: Gerbils were challenged intrahepatically with E. histolytica (Petri and Ravdin, 1991).
- Efficacy: Researcherse tested the ability of the galactose-specific adherence lectin of E. histolytica to elicit a protective immune response in conjunction with Freund's incomplete and complete adjuvants. Four independent trials demonstrated complete protection from amebic liver abscess formation in 67% of lectin-immunized gerbils. The gerbil antilectin antibodies were shown by Western immunoblotting to be directed to the heavy subunit (CEL-170/4) but not the light subunit of the lectin (Petri and Ravdin, 1991).
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