TY - JOUR
T1 - Polysaccharides, mimotopes and vaccines for fungal and encapsulated pathogens
AU - Pirofski, Liise anne
N1 - Funding Information:
I wish to thank Dr Arturo Casadevall for critical review of the manuscript. This work was supported by NIH grants AI 35370 and 45459 to L-A.P.
PY - 2001/9/1
Y1 - 2001/9/1
N2 - Vaccination is a rational alternative to treatment for Cryptococcus neoformans infections, as these infections are currently intractable in immunocompromised (including HIV-infected) individuals. Vaccines composed of the cryptococcal capsular polysaccharide glucuronoxylomannan (GXM), the key C. neoformans virulence factor, elicit protective antibodies in mice, although deleterious antibodies can also be induced. By contrast, polysaccharides are poor immunogens in HIV-infected humans and others with B-cell defects. Peptide mimotopes of GXM can induce protective immunity to C. neoformans in mice, however, our knowledge of the mechanisms of mimotope-induced protection is incomplete and further work is needed if polysaccharide- or mimotope-based vaccines are to be used to manage C. neoformans infection.
AB - Vaccination is a rational alternative to treatment for Cryptococcus neoformans infections, as these infections are currently intractable in immunocompromised (including HIV-infected) individuals. Vaccines composed of the cryptococcal capsular polysaccharide glucuronoxylomannan (GXM), the key C. neoformans virulence factor, elicit protective antibodies in mice, although deleterious antibodies can also be induced. By contrast, polysaccharides are poor immunogens in HIV-infected humans and others with B-cell defects. Peptide mimotopes of GXM can induce protective immunity to C. neoformans in mice, however, our knowledge of the mechanisms of mimotope-induced protection is incomplete and further work is needed if polysaccharide- or mimotope-based vaccines are to be used to manage C. neoformans infection.
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U2 - 10.1016/S0966-842X(01)02134-5
DO - 10.1016/S0966-842X(01)02134-5
M3 - Review article
C2 - 11553457
AN - SCOPUS:0035449899
SN - 0966-842X
VL - 9
SP - 445
EP - 451
JO - Trends in Microbiology
JF - Trends in Microbiology
IS - 9
ER -