Vaccine-specific immune responses against mycobacterium ulcerans infection in a low-dose murine challenge model

Abstract

The neglected tropical disease Buruli ulcer (BU) is an infection of subcutaneous tissue with Mycobacterium ulcerans. There is no effective vaccine. Here, we assessed an experimental prime-boost vaccine in a low-dose murine tail infection model. We used the enoyl reductase (ER) domain of the M. ulcerans mycolactone polyketide synthases electrostatically coupled with a previously described Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR-2) agonist-based lipopeptide adjuvant, R4Pam2Cys. Mice were vaccinated and then challenged via tail inoculation with 14 to 20 CFU of a bioluminescent strain of M. ulcerans. Mice receiving either the experimental ER vaccine or Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) were e..