Immunogenicity and Protective Efficacy of an Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Candidate in a Mice Model

Acellular pertussis vaccines (aPVs) have been developed as an alternative to whole-cell pertussis vaccines (wPVs) due to their similar efficacy but reduced reactogenicity. The aPV contains three or more immunogenic components of BP.  We aimed to evaluate the immunogenicity and protective potency of an aPV vaccine produced in our laboratory consisting of pertussis toxin (PT), filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA), and pertactin (PRN) in mice. The aPV components were produced and purified from the supernatant and pellet of the bacterial culture. Two doses of formulated vaccine in parallel with two commercial vaccines, were administered intraperitoneally (IP) in mice at 3-week intervals. Antibody titers against aPV antigens were measured by ELISA after primary and booster vaccinations. To assess the protective efficacy, an intranasal challenge with a live pathogenic BP strain was conducted two weeks after the booster vaccination, and bacterial count (colony-forming unit, CFU) in the lungs was conducted two hours and ten days after the challenge. The results demonstrated a significant increase in antibody titers against all pertussis antigens in the serum of vaccinated groups compared to the negative control group, following both the primary and booster doses. No significant differences were observed between our formulation and the commercial vaccines. Furthermore, the CFU results showed complete eradication of infection 10 days after the challenge in all immunized groups, in contrast to the control group. Our aPV formulation, the first aPV candidate developed in Iran, exhibits immunogenicity and protective efficacy comparable to commercial vaccines. Further investigation in human subjects is warranted.