-
Views
-
Cite
Cite
Lauriane E. Quenee, Timothy M. Hermanas, Nancy Ciletti, Helene Louvel, Nathan C. Miller, Derek Elli, Bill Blaylock, Anthony Mitchell, Jay Schroeder, Thomas Krausz, Joseph Kanabrocki, Olaf Schneewind, Hereditary Hemochromatosis Restores the Virulence of Plague Vaccine Strains, The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 206, Issue 7, 1 October 2012, Pages 1050–1058, https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jis433
- Share Icon Share
Abstract
Nonpigmented Yersiniapestis (pgm) strains are defective in scavenging host iron and have been used in live-attenuated vaccines to combat plague epidemics. Recently, a Y. pestis pgm strain was isolated from a researcher with hereditary hemochromatosis who died from laboratory-acquired plague. We used hemojuvelin-knockout (Hjv−/−) mice to examine whether iron-storage disease restores the virulence defects of nonpigmented Y. pestis. Unlike wild-type mice, Hjv−/− mice developed lethal plague when challenged with Y. pestis pgm strains. Immunization of Hjv−/− mice with a subunit vaccine that blocks Y. pestis type III secretion generated protection against plague. Thus, individuals with hereditary hemochromatosis may be protected with subunit vaccines but should not be exposed to live-attenuated plague vaccines.