[Immunization with Leishmania amazonensis subgenomic libraries protects BALB/c mice against the challenge]

A genomic library of Leishmania amazonensis in expression vector of eukaryote cells (pEF1HisA, pEF1HisB, pEF1HisC) was prepared. Also two subgenomic libraries having each 500 clones approximately were created and BALB/c mice were immunized with 50 mg/0,1 mL of DNA from each. Two immunizations were administered intramuscularly at 15-day interval. Groups of control mice were immunized with DNA from empty plasmid pEF1His, with soluble parasite antigen (100 mg/0,1 mL) and saline solution. The size of lesions was measured for 12 weeks and at the end of the experiment, the parasite load at lesion sites was determined by plaque microtitration method. In mice immunized with subgenomic library DNAI and with soluble antigens,the size of lesions was controlled, which reached an statistical difference (p< 0,05) in relation to the rest of groups whose lesions increased. The parasite load found in lesion sites confirmed the previous results; the number of promastigots was significantly lower in those mice already protected. It was concluded that in subgenomic library DNA1 there should be genes or gene fragments whose in vivo expression induces protective immune response against the challenge in the murine model used.