TY - JOUR

T1 - Hydrostatic filtration enables large-scale production of outer membrane vesicles that effectively protect chickens against gallibacterium anatis

AU - Antenucci, Fabio

AU - Arak, Homa

AU - Gao, Jianyang

AU - Allahgadry, Toloe

AU - Thøfner, Ida

AU - Bojesen, Anders Miki

PY - 2020

Y1 - 2020

N2 - Gallibacterium anatis is a Gram-negative opportunistic avian pathogen representing an emerging threat to poultry meat and egg production worldwide. To date, no vaccine able to effectively prevent the morbidity associated with G. anatis infections has been developed yet. Our group previously reported that inoculation of different combinations of G. anatis outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), FlfA and GtxA-N proteins is effective in preventing lesions caused by G. anatis infections in layer chickens. Here we report the testing of the efficacy as vaccine prototypes of G. anatis OMVs isolated by hydrostatic filtration, a simple technique that allows the cost-effective isolation of high yields of OMVs. Layer chickens were immunized with OMVs alone or in combination with FlfA and/or GtxA-N proteins. Subsequent challenge with a heterologous G. anatis strain showed that immunization with OMVs alone could significantly reduce the lesions following a G. anatis infection. A second study was carried out to characterize the dose-response (0.25, 2.5 and 25 μg) relationship of G. anatis OMVs as immunogens, showing that 2.5 μg of OMVs represent the optimal dose to elicit protection in the immunized animals after a similar challenge. Additionally, administration of ≥2.5 μg of G. anatis OMVs induced specific IgY titers and possibly vertical transfer of immunity.

AB - Gallibacterium anatis is a Gram-negative opportunistic avian pathogen representing an emerging threat to poultry meat and egg production worldwide. To date, no vaccine able to effectively prevent the morbidity associated with G. anatis infections has been developed yet. Our group previously reported that inoculation of different combinations of G. anatis outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), FlfA and GtxA-N proteins is effective in preventing lesions caused by G. anatis infections in layer chickens. Here we report the testing of the efficacy as vaccine prototypes of G. anatis OMVs isolated by hydrostatic filtration, a simple technique that allows the cost-effective isolation of high yields of OMVs. Layer chickens were immunized with OMVs alone or in combination with FlfA and/or GtxA-N proteins. Subsequent challenge with a heterologous G. anatis strain showed that immunization with OMVs alone could significantly reduce the lesions following a G. anatis infection. A second study was carried out to characterize the dose-response (0.25, 2.5 and 25 μg) relationship of G. anatis OMVs as immunogens, showing that 2.5 μg of OMVs represent the optimal dose to elicit protection in the immunized animals after a similar challenge. Additionally, administration of ≥2.5 μg of G. anatis OMVs induced specific IgY titers and possibly vertical transfer of immunity.

KW - Gallibacterium anatis

KW - Hydrostatic filtration

KW - Outer membrane vesicles

KW - Vaccination

U2 - 10.3390/vaccines8010040

DO - 10.3390/vaccines8010040

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 31979285

AN - SCOPUS:85078790854

VL - 8

JO - Vaccines

JF - Vaccines

SN - 2076-393X

IS - 1

M1 - 40

ER -