Corrigendum: Immunization of Experimental Dogs With Salivary Proteins From Lutzomyia longipalpis, Using DNA and Recombinant Canarypox Virus Induces Immune Responses Consistent With Protection Against Leishmania infantum.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02558.].

Immunization of Experimental Dogs With Salivary Proteins From Lutzomyia longipalpis, Using DNA and Recombinant Canarypox Virus Induces Immune Responses Consistent With Protection Against Leishmania infantum.

Metacyclic Leishmania promastigotes are transmitted by sand flies that inject parasites and saliva into the host's skin. Previous studies have demonstrated that DNA plasmids encoding Lutzomyia longipalpis salivary proteins LJM17 and LJL143, when used to immunize dogs, resulted in a systemic and local Th1 cell-mediated immunity that interfered in parasite survival in vitro. Here we evaluated the ability of these same salivary antigens to induce anti-Leishmania immunity and to confer protection by immunizing dogs using a novel vaccination strategy more suitable for use in the field. The strategy consisted of a single dose of plasmid followed by two doses of recombinant Canarypoxvirus (rCanarypoxvirus) expressing L. longipalpis salivary proteins (LJM17 or LJL143). Thirty days after the final immunization, dogs were intradermally challenged with 107Leishmania infantum promastigotes in the presence of L. longipalpis saliva. We followed the experimentally infected dogs for 10 months to characterize clinical, parasitological, and immunological parameters. Upon vaccination, all immunized dogs presented strong and specific humoral responses with increased serum concentrations of IFN-γ, TNF, IL-7, and IL-15. The serum of dogs immunized with LJM17 also exhibited high levels of IL-2, IL-6, and IL-18. L. infantum infection was established in all experimental groups as evidenced by the presence of anti-Leishmania IgG, and by parasite detection in the spleen and skin. Dogs immunized with LJM17-based vaccines presented higher circulating levels of IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-6, IL-7, IL-15, IL-18, TNF, CXCL10, and GM-CSF post-infection when compared with controls. Results demonstrated that relevant Leishmania-specific immune responses were induced following vaccination of dogs with L. longipalpis salivary antigen LJM17 administered in a single priming dose of plasmid DNA, followed by two booster doses of recombinant Canarypox vector. Importantly, a significant increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines known to be relevant for protection against leishmaniasis was evidenced after challenging LJM17-vaccinated dogs as compared to controls. Although similar results were observed following immunization with LJL143, the pro-inflammatory response observed after immunization was attenuated following infection. Collectively, these data suggest that the LJM17-based vaccine induced an immune profile consistent with the expected protective immunity against canine leishmaniosis. These results clearly support the need for further evaluation of the LJM17 antigen, using a heterologous prime-boost vaccination strategy against canine visceral leishmaniosis (CVL).

Clinical and immunopathological findings during long term follow-up in Leishmania infantum experimentally infected dogs.

Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis (CVL) is caused by Leishmania infantum, which in the New World is transmitted by Lutzomyia longipalpis. While prospective clinical and immunological assessments of dogs experimentally challenged with L. infantum have been previously reported over a relatively short follow-up period, the long-term characterization of infected animals has not been performed to date. We evaluated dogs in a subclinical state for six years following experimental infection with L. infantum and Lu. longipalpis saliva, via an intradermal route, to characterize clinical, parasitological and immunological parameters arising from L. infantum experimental infection. We also assess these parameters in a group of naturally infected animals. The immune profiles of the experimentally and naturally infected animals exhibited increases of IFN-γ, IL-6 and IL-18, and decreases in TNF, IL-2, IL-8 and CXCL1, compared to controls. Our results indicate that over a six-year follow-up post-challenge, subclinically infected dogs presented low CVL clinical scores despite the persistence of Leishmania parasites in the lymph nodes, spleen and skin. Similarities observed among immune profiles in the context of experimental and natural infection seem to suggest that an enduring activation of the host immune response may lead to the control of parasite growth, thereby limiting disease severity.

Circulating Biomarkers of Immune Activation, Oxidative Stress and Inflammation Characterize Severe Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis.

Clinical manifestations in canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) have not been clearly associated with immunological status or disease progression. We simultaneously assessed biomarkers of inflammation, immune activation, oxidative stress, and anti-sand fly saliva IgG concentrations in dog sera with different clinical manifestations to characterize a biosignature associated with CVL severity. In a cross-sectional exploratory study, a random population of 70 dogs from an endemic area in Brazil was classified according to CVL clinical severity and parasitological evaluation. A panel of biomarkers and anti-sand fly saliva IgG were measured in canine sera. Assessment of protein expression of profile biomarkers identified a distinct biosignature that could cluster separately animal groups with different clinical scores. Increasing severity scores were associated with a gradual decrease of LTB4 and PGE2, and a gradual increase in CXCL1 and CCL2. Discriminant analyses revealed that combined assessment of LTB4, PGE2 and CXCL1 was able to distinguish dogs with different clinical scores. Dogs with the highest clinical score values also exhibited high parasite loads and higher concentrations of anti-saliva antibodies. Our findings suggest CVL clinical severity is tightly associated with a distinct inflammatory profile hallmarked by a differential expression of circulating eicosanoids and chemokines.

Imunização de cães com produtos oriundos de Lutzomyia Longipalpis em duas diferentes abordagens: Canarypoxvirus sp. Expressando o gene que codifica para a proteína salivar LJM17 e/ou LJL143, e a proteína do intestino médio luloper1 como vacina bloqueadora de transmissão / dog immunization with products from Lutzomyia longipalpis in two different approaches: Canarypoxvirus sp. Expressing the gene that encodes the protein salivary LJM17 and / or LJL143 and the midgut protein luloper1 as a transmission blocking vaccine

As interações entre flebótomo, parasita e hospedeiro desempenham um papel importante na transmissão da leishmaniose. As moléculas provenientes do vetor são relevantes para estas interações e incluem as proteínas da saliva e do intestino médio. Nos flebótomos, as Leishmanias passam por um ciclo de desenvolvimento complexo dentro do intestino médio sob a proteção da matriz peritrófica, necessário para a geração de formas metacíclicas infectantes. As Leishmanias são transmitidas pelos flebótomos que co-injetam parasitas juntamente com a saliva, na derme do hospedeiro. Estudos anteriores demonstraram que a imunização de cães com duas proteínas salivares (LJM17 ou LJL143) de L. longipalpis, resultaram em uma imunidade mediada por células Th1 sistêmica e local afetando a sobrevivência do parasita in vitro. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a imunidade conferida pela imunização de cães com DNA e rCanarypoxvirus expressando o gene que codifica para as proteínas salivares de L. longipalpis (LJM17 e/ou LJL143)...

Sand fly, parasite, host interactions play an important role in the transmission of leishmaniasis. Vector molecules are relevant for such interactions and include midgut and salivary proteins. In vector sand fly species, Leishmania parasites undergo a complex developmental cycle within the midgut, protected by the peritrophic matrix that is necessary for generation of infectious metacyclics. Leishmania parasites are transmitted by sand flies that co-inject parasites and saliva, in the host’s skin. Previous studies showed immunization of dogs with two proteins (LJM17 or LJL143) from Lutzomyia longipalpis, resulted in a systemic and local Th1 cell-mediated immunity affecting parasite survival in vitro. In this work we evaluated the immunity conferredbyimmunization of dogs with DNA and recombinant Canarypoxvírusexpressing the gene encoding the salivary ofL.longipalpis (LJM17and/orLJL143). Immunization with both LJL143 and LJM17...