Efficacy of cell wall Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccines for protection against experimental pneumonia.

Three cell wall-derived Pseudomonas aeruginosa vaccines were evaluated for their capacity to provide protection from experimental pseudomonas pneumonia in guinea pigs. Two vaccines, Pseudogen, a heptavalent lipopolysaccharide vaccine, and PEV-01, a polyvalent glycine-EDTA cell wall extract, each produced hemagglutinating, opsonic, and serum bactericidal antibodies in guinea pigs. Significant protection from fatal hemorrhagic pneumonia was conferred by vaccination with these products. Purified, high-molecular weight polysaccharide vaccine was a less potent immunogen in guinea pigs and provided less protection from pneumonia. Protection from fatal pneumonia in vaccinees correlated with more rapid clearance of viable P. aeruginosa from lung tissue during the first 6 hr of infection. It appears that active immunization with certain cell wall-derived pseudomonas antigens can provide protection against experimental pseudomonas pneumonia.