ABSTRACT
Thrombocytopenia with life-threatening hemorrhage in childhood immune thrombocytopenic purpura is rare, but effective therapeutic options are limited for the patient with bleeding. We report the efficacy of humanized anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody (rituximab, Rituxan) therapy for an infant with severe, refractory life-threatening immune thrombocytopenic purpura.
Subject(s)
Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology , Antibodies, Monoclonal/therapeutic use , Antigens, CD20/metabolism , Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology , Antineoplastic Agents/therapeutic use , Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic/drug therapy , Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived , Humans , Infant , Male , Rituximab , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
Recombinant avipoxvirus vectors are attractive candidates for use in vaccination strategies for infections such as human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), where induction of a CD8+ T cell response is thought to be an important component of protective immunity. Here, we report the expression of a multiepitope polypeptide (TAB9) composed of the central 15 amino acids of the V3 loop from six different isolates of HIV-1 in a fowlpox virus (FWPV) vector, and the use of this vector (FPTAB9LZ) to induce strong HIV-specific CD8+ T cell responses in mice. In animals immunized twice intravenously with FPTAB9LZ, almost 2% of the CD8+ T cells in the spleen were shown to produce IFN-gamma in response to stimulation with HIV-1 peptides 1 week after the second immunization. The most dominant response was to the HIV-1 IIIB peptide. A strong HIV-specific response was also induced by intraperitoneal immunization of mice with FPTAB9LZ, whilst subcutaneous immunization elicited a weaker response. Intraperitoneal immunization with FPTAB9LZ was also shown to provide protection against challenge with a recombinant vaccinia virus expressing antigens, including those in TAB9. These results confirm the potential of FWPV vectors for use in HIV vaccination strategies.