A POLYSACCHARIDE VACCINE TO ENHANCE IMMUNITY AGAINST BRUCELLOSIS

A novel purified O-polysaccharide (OPS) vaccine has been produced for protection against the Brucella species. Laboratory studies have shown that it is effective for protecting Balb/c mice against a challenge o f 5x10(4) colony forming units (cfu) of B. abortus. A single dose of O PS appears to be more effective than multiple doses of vaccine, liposo mal encapsulation was not required for its effectiveness, and protecti on did not appear to be related to antibody response. There is a discu ssion of how cells which might synthesize, store or secrete OPS, but a re defective in linking this to their lipopolysaccharide (LPS), are li kely to be future vaccine candidates.