Characterization and clinical study on the acellular pertussis vaccine produced by a combination of column purified pertussis toxin and filamentous hemagglutinin.

Bordetella Pertussis Tohama phase I was cultured in a 300-liter fermentor using a medium containing 0.1% heptakis (2,5-0-dimethyl) beta-cyclodextrin (MeCD). Pertussis toxin (PT) and filamentous hamagglutinin (FHA) were purified using affinity and ion exchange gel column chromatographies. Endotoxin contents of these antigens (10 micrograms PN/ml) were less than 10 ngLPS/ml. PT and FHA were independently treated with formalin in the presence of amino acid and were mixed at a protein concentration ratio of 1:4, the same ratio of our commercialized acellular pertussis vaccine. PDT vaccine containing 2 micrograms PN of PT and 8 micrograms PN of FHA per milliliter was prepared. This PDT vaccine satisfied all the items of the Japanese Minimum Requirements including potency and toxicity tests. Even after this vaccine was incubated for 4 weeks at 37 degrees C, no deaths of the inoculated mice were observed after challenge with 4 mg of histamine on the 4th and 12th day of the inoculation. Compared with the conventional vaccine, this new vaccine caused less swelling in the mouse footpad test. A field trial of our two vaccines, one manufactured by the conventional method (lot No. 21A) and the other produced by the new method (lot No. KC8702), revealed that children receiving KC8702 showed almost the same anti-PT and anti-FHA antibody levels as those given 21A. Those who received KC8702 suffered from less local side effects such as redness, swelling or induration than those given 21A. Our new method for the production of acellular pertussis vaccine permits us the economical manufacturing of the vaccine with uniform quality in a closed system.

Comparison of the protective effects of the pertussis acellular vaccine with the component vaccine, which have different amounts of fimbriae, against the experimental aerosol infection of mice with Bordetella pertussis.

We obtained highly purified fimbrae from Bordetella pertussis cells which gave a single band in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Using the purified fimbriae, we prepared anti-fimbriae rabbit or goat IgGs by fimbriae-Sepharose affinity chromatography, and developed ELISA for its determination. The concentration of fimbriae in our former type of acellular vaccine (80 micrograms per ml) was determined to be 20 ng per ml, and that in our component vaccine was at an almost negligible level. To estimate the protective effects of the small levels of fimbriae, we evaluated the protective activities of three types of vaccines; the former type acellular vaccine (pertussis toxin (PT): filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA): fimbriae = 15:61:0.02 (microgram per ml)), the two-component vaccine (16:64:0.0001), and the three-component vaccine (16:63:0.8). The three types of vaccines showed no significant differences in protectivity against the experimental aerosol infection suggesting that these levels of fimbriae are not effective against the experimental aerosol infection of mice with Bordetella pertussis.

Enhancing effects of pertussis toxin B oligomer on the immunogenicity of influenza vaccine administered intranasally.

Influenza vaccines together with pertussis toxin B oligomer (PTB) purified from a culture supernatant of Bordetella pertussis were administered intranasally into mice to test for an adjuvant effect of the PTB. An inactivated virus vaccine and an ether-treated HA vaccine prepared from influenza virus A/Yamagata/120/86 (H1N1) and formulated with PTB, stimulated production of serum haemagglutinin inhibition (HI) antibody and pulmonary and endotracheal secretory IgA antibody to high titres. In addition, mice immunized with the influenza vaccines formulated with PTB were protected against exposure with a challenge virus. These results demonstrate that PTB can enhance the immunogenicity of influenza vaccines administered intranasally.

Characterization of mutant strains producing pertussis toxin cross reacting materials.

We have isolated 120 mutant strains producing pertussis toxin (PT) cross reacting materials (CRMs) from B. pertussis, strain Tohama, phase I by nitrosoguanidine treatment. Strains producing higher PT tend to show higher virulence in mice. No direct correlation between the virulence and other factors, such as filamentous hemagglutinin, adenylate cyclase or dermonecrotic heat labile toxin, was found. Most CRMs were less reactive to the anti-S1 monoclonal antibody, 1B7. When the PT CRMs produced by strains 69D, 74E or 79G, which were less or non-toxic, were mixed with A protomer purified from native PT, the PT activity assayed by clustering of CHO-cells increased significantly, but not when they were mixed with B oligomer. These CRMs may be composed of defective S1 and intact S2, S3, S4 and S5. Molecular sizes of PT CRMs outside and inside the cells were analysed by sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The sizes of the CRMs were in the range of 10K to 210K, but the biological activity of PT was detected at only the same molecular size, 106 K, as native PT. The majority of the CRM was released into culture medium if all five subunits were assembled; otherwise they accumulated inside the cell without completion of assembly to form the hexamer in the PT-form. One of the non-toxic mutants named 79G showed one point mutation from G to A at the 730th base from the Eco R1 site of the PT gene. Replacement of Cys-41 with Tyr-41 in S1 must have resulted from this mutation. 79G PT composed of S234 (5) was accumulated both inside and outside the cells because the mutant S1 could not form the disulfide bond in the molecule to form the hexamer with the B oligomer, and also S1 must be degraded because of its instability in the cells. Nevertheless 79 GPT showed high immunoprotectivity in mice by active or passive immunization against ic or aerosol challenge with B. pertussis, strain 18323, respectively. It may have a proper conformational structure for protective immunogenicity and could become a good candidate strain for production of a safer and effective pertussis vaccine in the future.

Effect of heptakis (2,6-0-dimethyl)beta-cyclodextrin on cell growth and the production of pertussis toxin and filamentous hemagglutinin in Bordetella pertussis.

Heptakis (2,6-0 dimethyl)beta-cyclodextrin (MeCD) which permits the growth of single colonies of Bordetella pertussis Tohama phase I on Stainer-Scholte medium solidified with agar also enhanced the production of pertussis toxin (PT). More than one hundred times the amount of PT was produced in Stainer-Scholte medium with MeCD in shake culture than was produced in MeCD-free medium. A maximum of 50 mg PT protein was produced per liter of culture broth as estimated by in vitro and in vivo assays. The production of filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) was several hundred times greater when B. pertussis was grown in shake cultures with MeCD than when growth was in MeCD-free shake cultures. The FHA content of the production medium was confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and electron microscopy. Evaluation of an acellular vaccine containing PT and FHA detoxified with formaldehyde showed that it was protective in the intracerebral challenge mouse potency assay.

Further evaluation of the pertussis component vaccine produced by apoceruloplasmin affinity chromatography.

The heat-treated apoceruloplasmin (Apocp) is a useful protein as an affinity ligand for the purification of pertussis toxin (PT). The amounts of Apocp in the purified antigens or the pertussis component vaccine were determined. Anti-Apocp antibodies were not detected by the passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) test in rats. No anti-Apocp antibody was detected after hyperimmunization of rabbits with the vaccine. Apocp was not detected in PT and filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) by ELISA using rabbit anti-Apocp IgG. In the experiments using 125I-labelled Apocp, 125I-Apocp was not detected in either PT or FHA which were purified by 125I-labeled Apocp-Sepharose, DEAE Sepharose, and cellulose sulfate chromatography. The contents of human DNA were also determined to be less than 10 pg per 1 mg of Apocp, by the dot-blot hybridization method using the 32P-labeled DNA probe of Alu sequence. In the tests for the presence of inapparent viruses, HBs antigen and HTLV-III antibody, no contamination was found in either the Apocp or in the vaccine. Large amounts of various viruses, which were intentionally added to the Apocp (spiking test), were completely inactivated by heating at 65 degrees C for 18 hr. Both the Apocp and the vaccine passed the general pharmacology and acute toxicity tests. From these results, the heat-treated Apocp was considered to be a suitable affinity ligand for the purification of the antigens for the pertussis component vaccine.