Immunization of mice with induced mutants ofCoccidioides immitis

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Abstract
Induced auxotrophic mutants of a human isolate of Coccidioides immitis were characterized as to their infection and/or disease causing capacity by intratesticular injection into guinea-pigs and by intranasal instillation into mice. These mutant strains demonstrated degrees of attenuation of virulence to avirulence. Considering this variability in infectivity, 3 of these strains were used as viable vaccines in mice. The results indicate that the individual mutants must produce a primary infection to establish immunity, and that effective immunity can be established which protects against infection up to a certain challenge dosage. Increasing the dosage of the vaccinating strain is given as a means of increasing the immunity of mice. Other characteristics of these mutants which may be related to their attenuation e.g. their nutritional requirements and growth temperature range, are discussed.