Vaccination with LetiFend® reduces circulating immune complexes in dogs experimentally infected with L. infantum

Domestic dogs constitute the main reservoir of Leishmania infantum and play a key role in transmission to humans. The main tool for controlling infection spread is a safe and effective vaccine, as successful immunization of dogs could significantly reduce the incidence of human visceral leishmaniosis (VL) and is the most cost-effective control strategy. The factors that determine disease progression in canine leishmaniosis (CanL) remain poorly understood, though a previous study in naturally infected dogs has demonstrated a clear relationship between the presence of circulating immune complexes (CIC) in the blood and disease progression. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare CIC levels in serum samples from dogs vaccinated or unvaccinated with LetiFend®, a new vaccine containing recombinant Protein Q, and experimentally infected with L. infantum. CIC were isolated from vaccinated or unvaccinated dogs after experimental infection with L. infantum and their levels measured by ELISA. Furthermore, reverse phase-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (RP-LC-MS/MS) analysis was used to investigate the protein composition of precipitated CIC. At all the time points analyzed after infection, the amount of CIC was lower in the vaccinated group compared to the placebo group. Furthermore, there were differences in the protein composition of precipitated CIC between the vaccinated and unvaccinated groups. In conclusion, administration of LetiFend® was able to reduce CIC elicited after experimental infection with L. infantum in a dog model in a process that may be related to complement system activation.