A method for stimulating the immune system in immunocompromised patients in order to treat opportunistic infection. The method involves the infusion of intentionally mismatched allogeneic cells. In order to prevent graft vs. host disease complications, the allogeneic cells can be irradiated prior to infusion.

Vaccines, methods of producing, and methods of using are provided in which a protective response to Valley Fever disease is produced when administered to an animal. The vaccine provides for expression of Coccidioides sp. Ag2 polypeptide in a plant or plant part, linked to a promoter preferentially directing expression to seed tissue of the plant or plant part. Further embodiments provide the polypeptide is targeted to the cell wall, vacuole or endoplasmic reticulum. The polypeptide may be fused to a dendritic cell targeting dendritic cell or a heat labile enterotoxin. Increased expression levels in the plant or plant part are obtained. The vaccine comprising the plant-produced Ag2 polypeptide may be a glucan chitin particle comprising the Ag2 polypeptide. The plant or plant materials in an embodiment may be orally administered.

A compound comprising one or more polysaccharide moieties each independently represented by the formula (1.fwdarw.4)-[GlcNH-R].sub.n-2,5-anhydromannose, wherein n is a positive integer from 3 to 500, and R is H or an acyl group, is described. The compound can be manufactured by (a) reacting chitosan with an acylating agent sufficient to partially N-acylate the chitosan, yielding a modified chitin/chitosan mixed polymer; and (b) reacting the modified chitin/chitosan mixed polymer with a deaminating agent to cleave the mixed polymer at the unacylated chitosan moieties. The compound can be used to immunize against fungal infection. Antibodies specific to the compound, and the use of such antibodies to protect against fungal infection are also described.

Antigens of Toxoplasma gondii that provide specific and strong delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) immune response, or which stimulate IFN-? secretion, are used for testing subjects for infection. Any skin testing format may be adapted for testing for the delayed type hypersensitivity, including a patch, a needle, or a prong. Presence of DTH indicates infection. Alternate methods of detecting a T cell response including monitoring IFN-? secretion may be used.

Outer membrane vesicles from bacteria of the Burkholderia pseudomallei complex can be used as adjuvants in compositions and methods to potentiate the immune response to immunogens.

The present disclosure provides vaccine compositions comprising at least one adjuvant and at least one antigen, wherein the adjuvant is a cationic lipid. The disclosure also provides methods of treating a disease in a mammal, methods of preventing a disease in a mammal, and methods of effecting antigen cross presentation to induce a humoral immune response and a cellular immune response in a mammal utilizing the vaccine compositions. Cross presentation of various antigens can be achieved by formulating the specific antigens with cationic lipids possessing adjuvant properties.

The present disclosure provides an improved yeast particle encapsulated nano-silica delivery system. The disclosure further provides methods of making and methods of using a nano-silica yeast particle delivery system.

The present disclosure provides vaccine compositions comprising at least one adjuvant and at least one antigen, wherein the adjuvant is a cationic lipid. The disclosure also provides methods of treating a disease in a mammal, methods of preventing a disease in a mammal, and methods of effecting antigen cross presentation to induce a humoral immune response and a cellular immune response in a mammal utilizing the vaccine compositions. Cross presentation of various antigens can be achieved by formulating the specific antigens with cationic lipids possessing adjuvant properties.

The present disclosure provides vaccine compositions comprising at least one adjuvant and at least one antigen, wherein the adjuvant is a cationic lipid. The disclosure also provides methods of treating a disease in a mammal, methods of preventing a disease in a mammal, and methods of effecting antigen cross presentation to induce a humoral immune response and a cellular immune response in a mammal utilizing the vaccine compositions. Cross presentation of various antigens can be achieved by formulating the specific antigens with cationic lipids possessing adjuvant properties.

A process is described for the production of an immunostimulant by submerged cultivation of Ganoderma lucidum in which mycelium from agar plates or a fermentation broth is added to a liquid medium in a shake flask or a bioreactor containing nutrients such as malt extract, yeast extract, peptone and glucose having access to air or to which air is added, and which is kept in constant movement at approx. 28 C. At the proper conditions, there will be an increase in the production of extracellular lentinan, which is shown to be a better immunostimulant than intracellular lentinan. The extracellular product is precipitated from the growth medium by means of methods for the precipitation of microbial polysaccharide.