RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Brun, Paola A1 Scarpa, Melania A1 Grillo, Alessia A1 Palù, Giorgio A1 Mengoli, Carlo A1 Zecconi, Alfonso A1 Spigaglia, Patrizia A1 Mastrantonio, Paola A1 Castagliuolo, IgnazioYR 2008 T1 Clostridium difficile TxAC314 and SLP-36kDa enhance the immune response toward a co-administered antigen JF Journal of Medical Microbiology, VO 57 IS 6 SP 725 OP 731 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/jmm.0.47736-0 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1473-5644, AB This study evaluated the in vivo adjuvant activity of two peptides derived from Clostridium difficile: a fragment of the receptor-binding domain of toxin A (TxAC314) and a fragment of the 36 kDa surface-layer protein (SLP-36kDa) from strain C253. Their ability to affect the magnitude, distribution and polarization of the immune response against fibronectin-binding protein A (FnbpA), a protective vaccine antigen against Staphylococcus aureus, was evaluated using two different routes of immunization: intranasal and subcutaneous. It was shown that (i) the route of immunization affected the magnitude of the immune response; (ii) both peptides enhanced the production of circulating anti-FnbpA IgG and IgA; (iii) following mucosal immunization TxAC314 was more effective than SLP-36kDa at inducing antibody in the gastrointestinal tract; (iv) the adjuvant influenced the Th1/Th2 balance; and (v) TxAC314 was more effective than SLP-36kDa in inducing a cell-mediated response. These studies provide insight into the ability of different C. difficile-derived peptides to differentially affect and polarize the activity of the immune system and on their potential use as adjuvants in newly developed vaccines., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/jmm.0.47736-0