Antibody to genome-derived neisserial antigen 2132, a Neisseria meningitidis candidate vaccine, confers protection against bacteremia in the absence of complement-mediated bactericidal activity.

Genome-derived neisserial antigen 2132 (GNA2132) is a novel vaccine candidate that was identified during the Neisseria meningitidis group B strain MC58 genome-sequencing project. To assess the vaccine potential of GNA2132, we prepared antisera from mice immunized with recombinant GNA2132 (gene from strain NZ394/98). Anti-GNA2132 antibody bound to the surface of live bacteria from all 7 capsular group B or C strains tested and elicited deposition of human C3b on the bacterial surface. However, with human or infant-rat complement, anti-GNA2132 had no detectable bactericidal activity (titer, <1:4) against the nominal strain, NZ394/98, and was bactericidal against only 2 of the other 6 strains tested. These differences between strains were unrelated to GNA2132 amino acid sequence or level of protein expression. Despite lack of bactericidal activity, anti-GNA2132 antiserum passively protected infant rats against meningococcal bacteremia after challenge with all 5 resistant strains. GNA2132 is thus a promising vaccine candidate for prevention of disease caused by N. meningitidis.