Efficacy of chemically cross-linked antigens for acellular pertussis vaccine

The efficacy of chemically cross-linked antigens for acellular pertussis vaccine was investigated by a murine respiratory infection model. Filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA), pertussis toxin (PT) and pertactin, prepared from a supernatant fluid of Bordetella pertussis culture or the bacterial cells, were chemically cross-linked by the addition of 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysulfosuccinimide (NHSS). The biological activities of FHA and PT were inactivated by the cross-linking reaction. The cross-linked antigens induced potent protective immunity against B. pertussis more than the vaccine prepared by formalin treatment (0.2 M). These data suggest a possibility that the vaccine prepared by using EDC and NHSS is more effective than the formalin-treated vaccine.