Patent 7229975 was granted and assigned to University of Manitoba Press on June, 2007 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Nucleic acid, including DNA, immunization is used to generate a protective immune response in a host, including humans, to a serine-threonine kinase (STK) of a strain of Chlamydia. A non-replicating vector, including a plasmid vector, contains a nucleotide sequence encoding a STK or a fragment of the STK that generates antibodies that specifically react with STK and a promoter sequence operatively coupled to the first nucleotide sequence for expression of the STK in the host. The non-replicating vector may be formulated with a pharmaceutically-acceptable carrier for in vivo administration to the host.