IV immunoglobulin administration had a significantly protective effect against lethal infection from virulent P. aeruginosa. Prophylactic IV immunoglobulin administration at the highest dose was comparable with that achieved by administrating a specific anti-PcrV polyclonal IgG into the mice. The mechanism of protection is likely to involve the synergic action of anti-PcrV titers and antibodies against some surface antigen(s) that block the type III secretion system-associated virulence of P. aeruginosa.

Gram-negative bacteria cause many types of infections in animals from fish and shrimps to humans. Bacteria use Type III secretion systems (TTSSs) to translocate their toxins directly into eukaryotic cells. The V-antigen is a multifunctional protein required for the TTSS in Yersinia and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. V-antigen vaccines and anti-V-antigen antisera confer protection against Yersinia or P. aeruginosa infections in animal models. The V-antigen forms a pentameric cap structure at the tip of the Type III secretory needle; this structure, which has evolved from the bacterial flagellar cap structure, is indispensable for toxin translocation. Various pathogenic gram-negative bacteria such as Photorhabdus luminescens, Vibrio spp., and Aeromonas spp. encode homologs of the V-antigen. Because the V-antigens of pathogenic gram-negative bacteria play a key role in toxin translocation, they are potential therapeutic targets for combatting bacterial virulence. In the USA and Europe, these vaccines and specific antibodies against V-antigens are in clinical trials investigating the treatment of Yersinia or P. aeruginosa infections. Pathogenic gram-negative bacteria are of great interest because of their ability to infect fish and shrimp farms, their potential for exploitation in biological terrorism attacks, and their ability to cause opportunistic infections in humans. Thus, elucidation of the roles of the V-antigen in the TTSS and mechanisms by which these functions can be blocked is critical to facilitating the development of improved anti-V-antigen strategies.

Vaccination against the type III secretion system of P. aeruginosa is a potential prophylactic strategy for reducing the incidence and improving the poor prognosis of P. aeruginosa pneumonia. In this study, the efficacies of three different adjuvants, Freund's adjuvant (FA), aluminum hydroxide (alum) and CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN), were examined from the viewpoint of inducing PcrV-specific immunity against virulent P. aeruginosa. Mice that had been immunized intraperitoneally with recombinant PcrV formulated with one of the above adjuvants were challenged intratracheally with a lethal dose of P. aeruginosa. The PcrV-FA immunized group attained a survival rate of 91%, whereas the survival rates of the PcrV-alum and PcrV-CpG groups were 73% and 64%, respectively. In terms of hypothermia recovery after bacterial instillation, PcrV-alum was the most protective, followed by PcrV-FA and PcrV-CpG. The lung edema index was lower in the PcrV-CpG vaccination group than in the other groups. PcrV-alum immunization was associated with the greatest decrease in myeloperoxidase in infected lungs, and also decreased the number of lung bacteria to a similar number as in the PcrV-FA group. There was less neutrophil recruitment in the lungs of mice vaccinated with PcrV-alum or PcrV-CpG than in those of mice vaccinated with PcrV-FA or PcrV alone. Overall, in terms of mouse survival the PcrV-CpG vaccine, which could be a relatively safe next-generation vaccine, showed a comparable effect to the PcrV-alum vaccine.

An effective vaccine against Pseudomonas aeruginosa would be hugely beneficial to people who are susceptible to the serious infections it can cause. Vaccination against PcrV of the P. aeruginosa type III secretion system is a potential prophylactic strategy for improving the incidence and prognosis of P. aeruginosa pneumonia. Here, the effect of nasal PcrV adjuvanted with CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (CpG) was compared with a nasal PcrV/aluminum hydroxide gel (alum) vaccine. Seven groups of mice were vaccinated intranasally with one of the following: 1, PcrV‐CpG; 2, PcrV‐alum; 3, PcrV alone; 4, CpG alone; 5, alum alone; 6 and 7, saline control. Fifty days after the first immunization, anti‐PcrV IgG, IgA and IgG isotype titers were measured; significant increases in these titers were detected only in the PcrV‐CpG vaccinated mice. The vaccinated mice were then intratracheally infected with a lethal dose of P. aeruginosa and their body temperatures and survival monitored for 24 hr, edema, bacteria, myeloperoxidase activity and lung histology also being evaluated at 24 hr post‐infection. It was found that 73% of the PcrV‐CpG‐vaccinated mice survived, whereas fewer than 30% of the mice vaccinated with PcrV‐alum or adjuvant alone survived. Lung edema and other inflammation‐related variables were less severe in the PcrV‐CpG group. The significant increase in PcrV‐specific IgA titers detected following PcrV‐CpG vaccination is probably a component of the disease protection mechanism. Overall, our data show that intranasal PcrV‐CpG vaccination has potential efficacy for clinical application against P. aeruginosa pneumonia.