1887

Abstract

As there is currently no licensed vaccine against , the causative agent of tularaemia, the bacterium is an agent of concern as a potential bioweapon. Although has a low infectious dose and high associated mortality, it possesses few classical virulence factors. An analysis of the subspecies genome sequence has revealed the presence of a region containing genes with low sequence homology to part of the operon of . We have generated an isogenic mutant of subspecies SchuS4 and shown it to be attenuated. Furthermore, using BALB/c mice, we have demonstrated that this strain affords protection against significant homologous challenge with the wild-type strain. These data have important implications for the development of a defined and efficacious tularaemia vaccine.

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2010-11-01
2024-12-09
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