Procedures for mucosal immunization and analyses of cellular immune response to candidate HIV vaccines in murine and nonhuman primate models.

Sampling the mucosal tissues and analyses of immune responses are integral to vaccine-development strategies against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which is transmitted predominantly across the oro-genital mucosa. While immune assay development and standardization attempts employ mouse models, immunogenicity and protective efficacy that can be extrapolated to humans are realized only from experiments in nonhuman primates. Here, we describe commonly used practices for immunizations in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) along with procedures for obtaining important mucosal tissues samples from macaques and mice. We also describe detailed protocols for two important assays applicable in mouse as well as primate experiments for determining antigen-specific T cells responses induced after vaccination.