Hybrid phage displaying SLAQVKYTSASSI induces protection against Candida albicans challenge in BALB/c mice.

The polymorphic fungus Candida albicans (C. albicans) can live as an aggressive pathogen and cause many diseases in hosts, for which no effective vaccine exists. The secreted aspartyl proteinase 2 (Sap2) plays a protective role in systemically infected BALB/c mice. Protective cellular immune responses can be preferentially induced when antigens are displayed on small particles. Therefore, the emphasis is placed on developing new phage vaccine to inhibit C. albicans infection. In this study, the ability of the hybrid phage displaying the epitope SLAQVKYTSASSI and recombinant protein of Sap2 (rSap2) for inducing immune protective responses against C. albicans infection was evaluated by lymphoproliferative assay, to gather cytokine and antibody measurements in BALB/c mice. Our results showed that, strong cellular and humoral immune responses were induced in a mouse model immunized with hybrid phage or rSap2. Furthermore, the protection against lethal challenge with C. albicans was observed in mice vaccinated hybrid phage without adjuvant. These findings demonstrate that the hybrid phage displaying the epitope SLAQVKYTSASSI might be a potential vaccine against C. albicans infections.