Chapter 23
Evaluation of Vaccine Candidates against Leptospirosis
using Golden Syrian Hamsters
Karen V. Evangelista and Kristel Lourdault
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a major public health problem, especially in developing countries. Current vaccine studies
focus on identifying Leptospira proteins that elicit protective immunity. Here, we describe a method to
assess recombinant proteins for their ability to protect hamsters from fatal infection against Leptospira and
to provide sterilizing immunity.
Key words Leptospira interrogans, Leptospirosis, Vaccines, Hamsters, Recombinant protein, ELISA,
Immunization
1 Introduction
Leptospirosis, caused by pathogenic strains of Leptospira, is the
most widespread zoonosis in the world, affecting both humans
and animals. Humans are infected either by direct contact with an
infected animal’s urine or indirectly through contaminated water.
Leptospiral infection can lead to a broad range of symptoms from
flu-like febrile illness to multi-organ complications characterized by
jaundice, acute hepatic and renal dysfunction, and lung hemorrhage. There are more than one million severe human cases of
leptospirosis every year, and up to 10% are lethal [1].
Effective methods to prevent leptospirosis infection include
avoidance of high-risk activities such as wading in flood and contaminated waters, wearing protective equipment such as boots if
exposure is unavoidable, and vaccination against the bacteria
[2]. Currently, no leptospirosis vaccine is widely available for
humans. Most vaccines on the market are for veterinary use and
are either heat-killed or formalin-killed leptospires. They primarily
target lipopolysaccharide, whose structure differs among the more
than 300 serovars of Leptospira [3]. These vaccines provide
Nobuo Koizumi and Mathieu Picardeau (eds.), Leptospira spp.: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 2134,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0459-5_23, © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
257
Evaluation of Vaccine Candidates against Leptospirosis
using Golden Syrian Hamsters
Karen V. Evangelista and Kristel Lourdault
Abstract
Leptospirosis is a major public health problem, especially in developing countries. Current vaccine studies
focus on identifying Leptospira proteins that elicit protective immunity. Here, we describe a method to
assess recombinant proteins for their ability to protect hamsters from fatal infection against Leptospira and
to provide sterilizing immunity.
Key words Leptospira interrogans, Leptospirosis, Vaccines, Hamsters, Recombinant protein, ELISA,
Immunization
1 Introduction
Leptospirosis, caused by pathogenic strains of Leptospira, is the
most widespread zoonosis in the world, affecting both humans
and animals. Humans are infected either by direct contact with an
infected animal’s urine or indirectly through contaminated water.
Leptospiral infection can lead to a broad range of symptoms from
flu-like febrile illness to multi-organ complications characterized by
jaundice, acute hepatic and renal dysfunction, and lung hemorrhage. There are more than one million severe human cases of
leptospirosis every year, and up to 10% are lethal [1].
Effective methods to prevent leptospirosis infection include
avoidance of high-risk activities such as wading in flood and contaminated waters, wearing protective equipment such as boots if
exposure is unavoidable, and vaccination against the bacteria
[2]. Currently, no leptospirosis vaccine is widely available for
humans. Most vaccines on the market are for veterinary use and
are either heat-killed or formalin-killed leptospires. They primarily
target lipopolysaccharide, whose structure differs among the more
than 300 serovars of Leptospira [3]. These vaccines provide
Nobuo Koizumi and Mathieu Picardeau (eds.), Leptospira spp.: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 2134,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-0459-5_23, © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
257