The effect of route of immunization on mucosal immunity and protection

In macaques, the route of immunization has a profound effect on the immune response. Augmenting rectal or vaginal immunization with oral or nasal immunization enhanced the secretory IgA, serum IgG, and T cell responses. However, targeted iliac lymph node (TILN) immunization with recombinant simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) gp120 and p27 elicited the most consistent mucosal antibody responses in the rectum, vagina, urine, seminal fluid, and blood. Both mucosal and TILN immunization induced specific CD4⁺ T cell proliferative responses in the iliac lymph nodes, which drain these mucosal surfaces, and in the splenic and circulating T cells. Rectal mucosal challenge with cell-free SIV induced total protection in 4 of 7 macaques that were immunized by the TILN route, and, compared with unimmunized macaques or those immunized by the mucosal route (P < .001), it induced a >90% decrease in virus load in 3 of them. Protection from mucosal rectal infection with SIV was significantly associated with an increase in the CD8 suppressor factor (which was generated by the iliac lymph node), RANTES, and MIP-1β (P< .01).