Effects of Alcaligenes Lipid A on microbiota of feces and ileal content from Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus infected mice

Lipid A is a component of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of Gram-negative bacteria. Previously, we demonstrated that synthesized lipid A, derived from Alcaligenes faecalis (ALA), could enhance antigen-specific immunoglobulin (Ig) A and T helper (Th) 17 responses, when ALA was coadministered experimentally with antigen as a vaccine adjuvant. This raised concern about the safety of the ALA usage, since IgA and Th17 have been suggested to play a pathogenic role in several immune mediated diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS). We investigated whether ALA administrations could exacerbate an animal model of MS, Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) infection.