Screening the whole genome of a pathogen in vivo for individual protective antigens.

We report the results of a general protocol that was used to screen the whole genome of Chlamydophila abortus, type strain B577 (formerly Chlamydia psittaci strain B577), in a mouse pneumonia model. Genetic immunization was used to functionally test the genes of C. abortus as vaccines in a mouse challenge system. Nine gene fragments were isolated that conferred protection, with five protecting as effectively as the live-vaccine positive control. Bioinformatics approaches were unable to reconstruct isolation of these antigens. These results suggest that pathogen genomes can be functionally screened for vaccine candidate antigens in a mouse model to reveal new classes of vaccine candidate antigens that may have therapeutic efficacy across host species, disease manifestations, and delivery platforms.