Personalized Site-Specific Immunomodulation

Abstract

The invention provides methods of treating inflammation in a specific organ or tissue of an individual. The method involves determining whether the individual has previously been infected with at least one pathogen that is pathogenic in the specific organ or tissue; and administering to the individual an anti-inflammatory composition comprising antigenic determinants, the antigenic determinants selected or formulated so that together they are specific for the at least one pathogen. The pathogen may be an endogenous or exogenous pathogen, and may further be a bacterial pathogen, a viral pathogen, a fungal pathogen, a protozoan pathogen, or a helminth pathogen.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method for treating a patient having ulcerative colitis, the method comprising:
 administering to a patient, diagnosed as having ulcerative colitis and exhibiting symptoms of ulcerative colitis, intradermally or subcutaneously an amount of an antigenic formulation comprising whole killed  Escherichia coli  ( E. coli ) cells in successive doses given at a dosage interval of at least one hour so that two or more doses are administered over a period from four days to one week, over a dosage duration of at least one week, wherein the amount of the antigenic formulation and duration of the administering is therapeutically effective to reduce or eliminate the symptoms of ulcerative colitis in the patient, wherein the whole killed  E. coli  cells are cells of an  E. coli  strain that is pathogenic in colon.   
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the patient is a human patient. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the dosage duration is at least two weeks. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the antigenic formulation is administered so that each dose is effective to cause a visible localized inflammatory immune response at an administration site. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the antigenic formulation is administered so that the visible localized inflammation at the administration site occurs within one to 48 hours. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the whole killed  E. coli  cells are cells of an  E. coli  strain collected from a patient with an  E. coli  colonic infection. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the antigenic formulation is administered subcutaneously every day, or every other day. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the whole killed  E. coli  cells are cells of an  E. coli  strain collected from a patient with an  E. coli  colonic infection. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the dosage duration is at least two weeks. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the antigenic formulation is administered so that each dose is effective to cause a visible localized inflammatory immune response at an administration site. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein the antigenic formulation is administered subcutaneously every day, or every other day. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the antigenic formulation is administered so that each dose is effective to cause a visible localized inflammatory immune response at an administration site. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the antigenic formulation is administered so that the visible localized inflammation at the administration site occurs within one to 48 hours. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 28 , wherein the antigenic formulation is administered subcutaneously every day, or every other day. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the antigenic formulation is administered so that each dose is effective to cause a visible localized inflammatory immune response at an administration site. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein the antigenic formulation is administered so that the visible localized inflammation at the administration site occurs within one to 48 hours. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the antigenic formulation is administered subcutaneously every day, or every other day. 
     
     
         38 . A method for treating a human patient having ulcerative colitis, the method comprising:
 administering to a human patient, diagnosed as having ulcerative colitis and exhibiting symptoms of ulcerative colitis, an amount of an antigenic formulation comprising whole killed  Escherichia coli  ( E. coli ) cells of an  E. coli  strain collected from a patient with an  E. coli  colonic infection, in successive doses subcutaneously at a dosage interval of every day or every other day, so that two or more doses are administered over a period from four days to one week, over a dosage duration of at least two weeks, wherein the dose of antigenic formulation is effective to cause a visible localized inflammatory immune response at an administration site within one to 48 hours, wherein the amount of the antigenic formulation and duration of the administering is therapeutically effective to reduce or eliminate the symptoms of ulcerative colitis in the patient, and wherein the  E. coli  strain is pathogenic in colon.