Contact person: Mirinda van Kleef (Ph.D)
Email: vankleefm@arc.agric.za


This unit aims to identify subunit vaccine targets which have the potential to protect animals against intracellular pathogens. It focuses largely on the organism that causes heartwater. To rationally develop new vaccines, it is important to characterise the responses induced by the pathogenic organism and to ascertain whether they in any way correlate with immunological protection. Methods used in this laboratory include lymphocyte proliferation tests, ELIspot assays, functional assays for cytotoxic lymphocytes and flow cytometry. It also offers DNA sequencing, flow cytometry analyses and the irradiation of biological samples with 137Cs as services. ​ ​ ​

​   New Generation Vaccines Programme
 
   ​Immunochemistry and Humoral Immunity
   ​Protein Expression and Purification
 
   ​Vectors and Delivery systems

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Staff

Key publications

Tshikhudo, N., Pretorius, A., Putterill, J., van Kleef, M. 2010. Preparation and in vitro characterisation of Ehrlichia ruminantium plasmid DNA and proteins encapsulated into and DNA adsorbed onto biodegradable microparticles. Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases. 1:186–193.

Sebatjane, S.I., Pretorius, A., Liebenberg, J., Steyn, H., Van Kleef, M. 2010. In vitro and in vivo evaluation of five low molecular weight proteins of Ehrlichia ruminantium as potential vaccine components. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology. 137:217–225.

Pretorius, A., Liebenberg, J., Louw, E., Collins, N. E., Breyton, K.A., Tshikudo, N., van Strijp, M. F. and Allsopp B. A. 2010. Studies of a polymorphic Ehrlichia ruminantium gene for use as a component of a recombinant vaccine against heartwater. Vaccine. 28:3531-3539.

Pretorius A, van Kleef M, Collins NE, Tshikudo N, Louw E, Faber FE, van Strijp MF, Allsopp BA. 2008. A heterologous prime/boost immunisation strategy protects against virulent E. ruminantium Welgevonden needle challenge but not against tick challenge. Vaccine. 26:4363-4371.

Pretorius, A., Collins, N.E., Steyn, H.C., van Strijp, F., van Kleef, M. and Allsopp, B.A. 2007. Protection against heartwater with four Ehrlichia ruminantium open reading frames presented by DNA immunisation. Vaccine. 25:2316-2324.