STUDY OF IMMUNOGENICITY OF A PROTOTYPE VACCINE AGAINST HEPATITIS E

Aim. Evaluate specific immunogenic activity of a prototype vaccine against hepatitis E (HE). Materials and methods. Non-linear mice, male (n=170), were immunized once intraperitoneally by a prototype vaccine against HE at 5,10 and 20 pg per animal. Anti-HEV IgG were determined by ELISA using species-specific conjugate at days 7,14,21 and 28 after immunization. Experimental samples of the vaccine preparation containing 20 pg of the antigen and compositions of adjuvants based on aluminium hydroxide and immune modulators polyoxidonium and glutoxim were administered to 250 mice split into 25 groups (10 animals per group) to optimize vaccine immuno-genicity. Anti-HEV were determined in mice sera samples at day 28 after the immunization, and mean immunization dose (Ш50) for each composition of the vaccine preparation was calculated. Results. Increase of immunogenicity for the same standard antigen dose (20 pg) for glutoxim adjuvant at 10 mg/ml in aluminium hydroxide solution (0,5 mg/ml) was 51.4%. A non-significant increase of immunogenicity was also observed for vaccine composition with polyoxidonium (1.0 mg/ml), however, it was statistically non-significant when compared with standard adjuvant (aluminium hydroxide at 0,5 mg/ml). Conclusion. The data obtained give evidence regarding high immunogenicity of the vaccine preparation against hepatitis E. Use of glutoxim immune modulator in the composition of the experimental vaccine against hepatitis E ensures highest immunogenicity.