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Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology and State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing 100071, China
Address for correspondence: Bohai Wen, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology and State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, 20 Dong-Da-Jie Street, Fengtai, Beijing 100071, China. Voice: +86-10-63820718; fax: +86-10-63815259. wenbohai{at}yahoo.com
The Balb/c mice were infected with Coxiella burnetii and samples of blood and major organs from the infected mice were collected on days 1 to 14 after infection. The DNAs extracted from the samples were detected by a developed real-time quantitative PCR specific for C. burnetii and high loads of C. burnetii were found in spleens, livers, and lungs, particularly in spleens. The Balb/c mice were immunized with whole cell antigen (WCA) of C. burnetii and coxiella loads in spleens of mice were assessed by the real-time quantitative PCR on day 7 after challenge with C. burnetii. The analysis suggested that phase I whole cells were excellent immunogen that elicited complete protection against coxiella infection by two-booster but not one-booster immunization. The results suggest that the combination of Balb/c model and the real-time quantitative PCR assay is a reliable and sensitive way to evaluate the efficiency of vaccines against Q fever.
Key Words: Coxiella burnetii • BALB/c mice • real-time PCR • immunization
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