ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF PNEUMOCOCCUS ANTIGEN

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To protect a host from infection with pneumococcus such as innidiative infection and systemic infection by orally administering pneumococcus surface protein A (PspA) or a fragment of the PspA having a defensive induced epitope to the host to induce the immunological response. SOLUTION: An effective amount of PspA [killed whole Streptococcus pneumoniae, a lysate of the whole Streptococcus pneumoniae, the purified PspA or the like] and/or an immunogenic fragment including at least one epitope is orally or perorally administered preferably to a digestive canal (stomach, intestine or the like). The oral administration can protect the host not only from lung infection but also from infection caused by the lung infection.