ASSESSMENT OF IMMUNITY INDUCED IN MICE BY GLYCOPROTEINS DERIVED FROM DIFFERENT STRAINS AND SPECIES OF LEISHMANIA

A comparative study was undertaken on the immunogenic properties of 63 kDa glycoproteins obtained from five different strains/species of leis hmania and assessed in C57BL/10 mice. The humoral immune response was assessed by ELISA against the five different antigens of the immunized animals. The cellular immune response was derived from Leishmania The response was found to be species-specific in all of determined by mea ns of the cytokine profiles secreted by the spleen cells of immunized animals. The presence of gamma-IFN and IL-2, and the absence of IL-4 i n the supernatants of cells stimulated by L. amazonensis antigen estab lished that the cellular response is of Th-1 type. The five glycoprote ins tested were equally effective in protecting C57BL/10 mice against challenge by L. amazonensis. About 50% of the immunized animals were p rotected for six months.