Figure 3
Ab response and protection after various modes of vaccination. A. BALB/c mice were vaccinated three times at 4–5 week intervals with 3 μg M2e-MAP (two experiments G39d, two G40d) and the indicated adjuvants (see bottom of figure) by i.n. or s.c. route. Mice were bled 3 weeks after the third immunization. Pooled plasma samples (3–5 mice/pool) were tested by ELISA for M2e(pep)- (dots) and M2e(pep-nat)-specific (circles) Ab titers. Horizontal bars indicate GMTs within each set. Data from four independent vaccination experiments are shown. B, C, D. 7–10 days after the third vaccination, mice were challenged by i.n. inoculation of 5 μl X31 (1000 TCID50/mouse). Five days later, nose, trachea and lung were tested for virus titer. Each symbol indicates the virus titer of an individual mouse. Horizontal bars indicate the GMT within each vaccination set. Dashed (top) and stipulated (bottom) horizontal lines indicate the mean virus titer of control mice and threshold of virus detection, respectively. Tissues with undetectable virus were assumed to be virus free. Data were analyzed by non-parametric ANOVA and Dunn's Multiple Comparison post test. M2e-MAP vaccination groups with statistically significant reduction in virus titer compared to the control group are indicated by asterisks right above the group and statistical differences between M2e-MAP vaccination groups by asterisks above two-sided arrows: p < 0.05 (*), p < 0.01 (**), p < 0.001 (***).