Anti-microbial immunomodulation
The invention provides methods of modulating an immune system in a vertebrate host for the therapeutic or prophylactic treatment of infection by a first microbial pathogen in a target tissue, comprising administration at an administration site of an effective amount of an antigenic formulation comprising antigenic determinants specific for a second heterologous microbial pathogen.
1. A method of modulating an immune system in a vertebrate host for the prophylactic treatment of infection by a first microbial pathogen in a target tissue, the method comprising:
administering to the vertebrate host an effective amount of an antigenic formulation comprising antigenic determinants specific for a second heterologous microbial pathogen, wherein:
the antigenic determinants are selected from the group consisting of whole cells or cell wall extracts;
the first microbial pathogen is Streptococcus pneumonia or Pseudomonas aeruginosa , the second heterologous microbial pathogen is Klebsiella pneumonia , and the target tissue is the lung; or,
the first microbial pathogen is P. aeruginosa , the second heterologous microbial pathogen is S. aureus , and the target tissue is the skin; or,
the first microbial pathogen is a viral lung pathogen, the second heterologous microbial pathogen is Klebsiella pneumonia , and the target tissue is the lung; and,
wherein the administering comprises administering successive doses of the formulation at a dosage interval of at least one hour, so that two or more doses are administered over a period from 2 days to 1 month, over a dosage duration of at least one week.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the host is a human patient.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the antigenic determinants comprise whole cells.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the whole cells are killed.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the whole cells are attenuated.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the antigenic determinants comprise cell wall extracts.
7. The method of claim 3 , wherein the host is a human patient.
8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the host is a human patient.
9. The method of claim 5 , wherein the host is a human patient.
10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the host is a human patient.