DNA inoculation as a novel vaccination method against human retroviruses with rheumatic disease associations

摘要: There are a number of rheumatologic manifestations human retroviral infections associated with immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-I) and the T-cell leukemia (HTLV-I) including arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome-like symptoms as well other varied autoimmune phenomena. Infection HTLV-1 may be directly involved in etiology and/or pathogenesis an arthritic condition similar to rheumatoid arthritis. We have been characterizing new vaccination strategy against infections, designated DNA inoculation. This procedure involves intramuscular injection plasmids which express specific antigens. technique results development humoral cellular immune responses these proteins. Specifically, this method has successfully used develop HIV-I HTLV-I. The availability rat rabbit infection models for HTLV-I, coupled successful animals after inoculation HTLV-I envelope expressing plasmid, will allow efficacy evaluated protection vivo viral challenge endpoint.