Immunization against Leishmania Donovani: Glucan as an Adjuvant with Killed Promastigotes

Thomas W. HolbrookDepartments of Laboratory Medicine and Physiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29403

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James A. CookDepartments of Laboratory Medicine and Physiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29403

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Brenda W. ParkerDepartments of Laboratory Medicine and Physiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29403

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Mice were immunized by a series of intravenous injections of formalin-killed Leishmania donovani promastigotes alone and combined with glucan, a β 1,3 polyglucose derivative of baker's yeast. In three separate experiments animals were challenged with viable parasites on day 21, 40 or 80 after immunization. Mice which received dead parasites and glucan exhibited resistance against challenge up to 80 days after immunization. Animals which had been injected with glucan alone exhibited a lesser degree of resistance but injections of killed promastigotes alone conferred no measurable resistance against infection.

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