Recent findings related to immune responses against leptospirosis and novel strategies to prevent infection

Frédérique Vernel-Pauillac (1) , Catherine Werts (1)

1 BGPB - Biologie et Génétique de la Paroi bactérienne - Biology and Genetics of Bacterial Cell Wall

What are the new approaches and emerging ideas to prevent leptospirosis, a neglected bacterial re-emerging zoonotic disease? How do Leptospira interrogans escape the host defenses? We aim here to review and discuss the most recent literature that provides some answers to these questions, in particular data related to a better understanding of adaptive and innate immunity towards leptospires, and design of vaccines. This is an opinion paper, not a comprehensive review. We will try to highlight the new strategies and technologies boosting the search for drugs and vaccines. We will also address the bottlenecks and difficulties impairing the search for efficient vaccines and the many gaps in our knowledge of immunity against leptospirosis. Finally, we aim to delineate how Leptospira spp. escape the innate immune responses of Toll-Like receptors (TLR) and Nod-Like receptors (NLR). The rational use of TLR and NLR agonists as adjuvants could be key to design future vaccines against pathogenic leptospires.

Keywords: Nod-Like receptors (NLR); Toll-Like receptors (TLR); Vaccines; Zoonosis; Adjuvants; Leptospira interrogans

Domains: Veterinary medicine and animal Health; Innate immunity; Bacteriology

Frédérique Vernel-Pauillac, Catherine Werts. Recent findings related to immune responses against leptospirosis and novel strategies to prevent infection. Microbes and Infection, 2018, 20 (9-10), pp.578-588. ⟨10.1016/j.micinf.2018.02.001⟩. ⟨pasteur-02337027⟩