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Laboratory Techniques Used to Maintain and Differentiate Biotypes of Vibrio cholerae Clinical and Environmental Isolates
Published on: May 30, 2017
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Predicting Vibrio cholerae infection and symptomatic disease: a systems serology study
Kirsten E Wiens1, Anita S Iyer2, Taufiqur R Bhuiyan3
1Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Temple University College of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
The Lancet. Microbe
|March 12, 2023
Summary
New research reveals antibody-dependent complement deposition is a better predictor of cholera protection than vibriocidal antibodies. This finding could improve cholera vaccine development and efficacy assessments.
Area of Science:
- Immunology and infectious diseases
- Microbial pathogenesis and host defense
- Vaccinology and mucosal immunity
Background:
- Vibriocidal antibodies are the standard correlate of protection for cholera vaccines.
- Previous studies have not comprehensively compared various antibody responses against Vibrio cholerae (V. cholerae) infection and cholera-related diarrhea.
- The need for improved correlates of protection is crucial for effective cholera vaccine development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively analyze antibody-mediated correlates of protection against V. cholerae infection and cholera-related diarrhea.
- To compare the predictive power of various serum antibody biomarkers.
- To identify novel biomarkers that may offer better protection prediction than vibriocidal antibodies.
Main Methods:
- A systems serology approach was employed, analyzing 58 serum antibody biomarkers.
- Two cohorts were utilized: household contacts of cholera patients in Bangladesh and cholera-naive volunteers in the USA challenged with V. cholerae.
- Antigen-specific immunoglobulin responses were measured using a customized Luminex assay, and predictive models were built using conditional random forest analysis.
Main Results:
- Antibody-dependent complement deposition targeting the O1 antigen was identified as the most predictive correlate of protection against V. cholerae infection in household contacts.
- Vibriocidal antibody titers were found to be less predictive compared to other biomarkers.
- A five-biomarker model derived from household contacts predicted protection against infection and diarrhea in challenged vaccinees with high accuracy (cvAUC 79% and AUC 77%, respectively).
Conclusions:
- Serum antibody-dependent complement deposition is a more potent correlate of protection against cholera than vibriocidal antibodies.
- Models developed using data from cholera-endemic settings may yield more broadly applicable correlates of protection.
- These findings can inform the development of more effective cholera vaccines and improve immunogenicity assessment strategies.

