Paracoccidioidomycosis vaccine

Paracoccidioidomycosis is a granulomatous pulmonary infection that is generally controlled by chemotherapy. the efficacy of treatment, however, is limited by the status of the host immune response. the inhibition of a Th-2 immunity or the stimulation of Th-1 cytokines generally increases the efficacy of antifungal drugs.(1) This has been achieved by immunization with an internal peptide of the major diagnostic antigen gp43 of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis. Peptide 10 (QTLIAIHTLAIRYAN) elicits an IFN-gamma rich Th-1 immune response that protects against experimental intratracheal infection by this fungus. the combination of chemotherapy with P10 immunization showed additive protective effect even after 30 d of infection or in anergic mice, rendering in general, increased production of IL-12 and IFN-gamma and reduction of IL-4 and IL-10. Immunotherapy with P10 even in the absence of simultaneous chemotherapy has been effective using various protocols, adjuvants, nanoparticles, P10-primed dendritic cells, and especially a combination of plasmids encoding the P10 minigene and IL-12. Gene therapy, in a long-term infection protocol succeeded in the virtual elimination of the fungus, preserving the lung structure, free from immunopathological side effects.Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Cell Biol, Dept Microbiol Immunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Inst Biomed Sci, Dept Microbiol, São Paulo, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Lab Med Mycol IMT SP LIM53, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Div Cell Biol, Dept Microbiol Immunol & Parasitol, São Paulo, BrazilFAPESP: 2010/51423-0Web of Scienc