1a). Before and after intranasal challenge with any of the serotypes tested (serotype 4, 14, or 19A), the mean anti-PsaA concentrations for PCV7 + rPsaA and rPsaA immunized mice were not significant from each other (P-values, 0.27 and 0.21, respectively). Sera from unimmunized mice and mice immunized with either PBS/adjuvant (not shown) or PCV7 had no measurable amounts of anti-PsaA IgG. With the anti-Pnc PS ELISA, the average IgG selleck inhibitor antibody concentrations were not statistically different for PCV7 immunized mice and PCV7 + rPsaA immunized mice no matter the serotype prior to and after challenge (Fig. 1b). Unimmunized

mice and mice immunized with PBS/adjuvant (not shown) or rPsaA induced low IgG levels. In mice immunized with rPsaA alone, a higher IgG response to Pnc Ps serotype 14 was observed after intranasal challenge than prior to challenge (1 to 10 U/ml; P-value = 0.20). OPA results for serum from PCV7 + rPsaA and PCV7 immunized mice had equivalent titers of functional antibodies (Table 1; titers within one dilution of each other). For unimmunized mice or mice immunized with either PBS/adjuvant or rPsaA alone, OPA titers were at the lowest

level of detection. Similar geometric titers resulted from using the standard and modified OPA (P-value = 0.70; Spearman Rank Order Correlation = 0.920). In comparison to unimmunized mice, mice immunized with rPsaA alone, PCV7 alone, and PCV7 + rPsaA exhibited reduction in carriage of serotypes 4, 14, and 19A (50 to 100% reduction; Table 2). Mice immunized with PBS/adjuvant demonstrated

no reduction MK2206 in carriage of these three serotypes. PCV7 + rPsaA immunized mice had the greatest reduction in colony counts when compared to rPsaA immunized mice and PCV7 immunized mice regardless of serotype used for challenge. By one way analysis of variance on ranks, colony counts among immunized groups were significantly different (P-values: 0.042 for serotype 4 colonization, <0.001 for serotype 14 colonization, and 0.003 for serotype 19A colonization) and further evaluation of these differences was completed using a multiple comparison procedure. Significant reductions (P-value < 0.5) determined by Student–Newman–Keuls Method are noted in the table. By co-administering PCV7 and rPsaA, we observed a reduction Thymidine kinase in Pnc carriage for serotypes 4, 14, and 19A in mice. Previous studies demonstrate that by administering different pneumococcal antigens, multiple mechanisms of pneumococcal invasion and colonization can be targeted [16], [21], [22], [36] and [37]. In our study, we targeted colonization, which precedes pneumococcal infection [35] and [38]. Anticapsular antibodies elicited by PCV7 are thought to play a role in eliminating carriage of the vaccine serotypes [39], [40] and [41]. Although these antibodies have effectively protected against vaccine-related serotype 6A [3], [42] and [43], functionality of 19F cross-reactive antibodies to serotype 19A, in PCV7, is limited.