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 [or therapeutic]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 a microbial lung pathogen that is not a Klebsiella pneumonia, Streptococcus pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa or a viral lung pathogen, and the second heterologous microbial pathogen is a 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 first microbial pathogen is Moraxella catarrhalis, Mycoplasma pneumoniae , or Haemophilus influenza.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the host is a human patient.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the host is a human patient.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the antigenic determinants comprise whole cells.
6. The method of claim 2 , wherein the antigenic determinants comprise whole cells.
7. The method of claim 3 , wherein the antigenic determinants comprise whole cells.
8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the antigenic determinants comprise whole cells.
9. The method of claim 5 , wherein the whole cells are killed.
10. The method of claim 6 , wherein the whole cells are killed.
11. The method of claim 7 , wherein the whole cells are killed.
12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the whole cells are killed.
13. The method of claim 5 , wherein the whole cells are attenuated.
14. The method of claim 6 , wherein the whole cells are attenuated.
15. The method of claim 7 , wherein the whole cells are attenuated.
16. The method of claim 8 , wherein the whole cells are attenuated.
17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the antigenic determinants comprise cell wall extracts.
18. The method of claim 2 , wherein the antigenic determinants comprise cell wall extracts.
19. The method of claim 3 , wherein the antigenic determinants comprise cell wall extracts.
20. The method of claim 4 , wherein the antigenic determinants comprise cell wall extracts.