Polyclonal B-cell activation by Neisseria meningitidis capsular polysaccharides elicit antibodies protective against Trypanosoma cruzi infection in vitro

Abstract

A hyperimmune rabbit antiserum against group C Neisseria meningitidis agglutinated and lysed Trypanosoma cruzi metacyclic trypomastigotes in a complement-mediated reaction. Immunization of rabbits with the purified polysaccharide C from N. meningitidis and of human volunteers with the AC-polysaccharide vaccine against meningitis also resulted in antibody production cross-reactive with T. cruzi infective forms, the rabbit antibodies bound to parasites, lysed metacyclic forms, and recognized several components from lysates of cell-derived trypomastigotes. the sera from six human volunteers reacted with cell-cultured trypomastigotes in vitro, lysed these forms, and recognized glycoconjugates migrating diffusely on the top of immunoblots. One serum also reacted with the isolated mucin-like glycoconjugate carrying the Ssp-3 epitope from cell-derived trypomastigotes, but treatment with sialidase did not abolish this reactivity. the anti-AC human antiserum also protected against HeLa cell infection and markedly decreased the number of parasites liberated after cell burst. the polyclonal response that resulted from human immunization with N. meningitidis polysaccharides A and C comprised trypanolytic antibodies that recognized nonsialylated epitopes expressed on infective forms of the parasite. It is suggested that human AC vaccination could be potentially helpful as an adjuvant to a specific immunotherapy of Chagas disease, developed with native or recombinant antigens of the parasite. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.