Evaluation in swine of a subunit vaccine against pseudorabies

A subunit vaccine against pseudorabies virus (PRV) was prepared by treating a mixture of pelleted virions and infected cells with the nonionic detergent Nonidet P-40 and emulsifying the extracted proteins incomplete Freund's adjuvant. Three 7-week-old pigs without antibodies against PRV were given 2 IM doses of this vaccine 3 weeks apart. Thirty days after the 2nd vaccination, 10(6) median tissue culture infective doses (TCID50) of a virulent strain of PRV were administered intranasally. Tonsillar and nasal swabs were collected daily between 2 and 10 days after challenge exposure. The pigs vaccinated with the subunit vaccine were not found to shed virulent PRV. Two groups of five 7-week-old pigs vaccinated with commercially available vaccines, either live-modified or inactivated virus, and subsequently exposed to 10(6) TCID50 of virulent PRV, shed virulent virus for up to 8 days. The subunit vaccine induced significantly higher virus-neutralizing antibody titers than either the live-modified or inactivated virus vaccine.     

High- and low-challenge exposure doses used to compare intranasal and intramuscular administration of pseudorabies virus vaccine in passively immune pigs.

We compared 3 modified-live pseudorabies virus (PRV) vaccine strains, administered by the intranasal (IN) or IM routes to 4- to 6-week-old pigs, to determine the effect of high- and low-challenge doses in these vaccinated pigs. At the time of vaccination, all pigs had passively acquired antibodies to PRV. Four experiments were conducted. Four weeks after vaccination, pigs were challenge-exposed IN with virulent virus strain Iowa S62. In experiments 1 and 2, a high challenge exposure dose (10(5.3) TCID50) was used, whereas in experiments 3 and 4, a lower challenge exposure dose (10(2.8) TCID50) was used. This low dose was believed to better simulate field conditions. After challenge exposure, pigs were evaluated for clinical signs of disease, weight gain, serologic response, and viral shedding. When vaccinated pigs were challenge-exposed with a high dose of PRV, the duration of viral shedding was significantly (P less than 0.05) lower, and body weight gain was greater in vaccinated pigs, compared with nonvaccinated challenge-exposed pigs. Pigs vaccinated IN shed PRV for fewer days than pigs vaccinated IM, but this difference was not significant. When vaccinated pigs were challenge-exposed with a low dose, significantly (P less than 0.05) fewer pigs vaccinated IN (51%) shed PRV, compared with pigs vaccinated IM (77%), or nonvaccinated pigs (94%). Additionally, the duration of viral shedding was significantly (P less than 0.05) shorter in pigs vaccinated IN, compared with pigs vaccinated IM or nonvaccinated pigs. The high challenge exposure dose of PRV may have overwhelmed the local immune response and diminished the advantages of the IN route of vaccination.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Role of memory B-cell responses in serum and mucosal fluids of swine for protective immunity against pseudorabies virus.

We examined primary and memory isotype-specific antibody responses directed against pseudorabies virus in serum and mucosal fluids of pigs with and without passively acquired maternal antibody, and we studied the relationship between these responses and protection against virus challenge. Pigs were inoculated intranasally with the virulent NIA-3 strain or the avirulent Bartha strain, or they were inoculated IM with an inactivated vaccine containing the Phylaxia strain. Ten weeks later, all pigs were challenge-exposed intranasally with strain NIA-3. Only pigs that were without passively acquired antibody at the time they were inoculated with virulent virus appeared to have complete protective immunity against challenge exposure, as evidenced by lack of clinical signs of pseudorabies and lack of virus excretion. In contrast, pigs inoculated with strain Bartha or with the inactivated vaccine developed fever, had a period of growth arrest, and excreted virus after challenge exposure. In pigs without passively acquired antibody, intranasal inoculation with strains NIA-3 or Bartha was followed by primary IgM and IgA responses in serum and in oropharyngeal fluid as well as primary IgG1 and IgG2 responses in serum. Intramuscular inoculation with the inactivated vaccine induced primary serum IgM, IgG1, and IgG2 responses, but no mucosal responses. Challenge exposure of pigs that had been inoculated with the Bartha strain or the inactivated vaccine was followed by clear memory responses in serum and in oropharyngeal fluid. In contrast, challenge exposure of pigs that had been inoculated by the virulent NIA-3 strain was not followed by memory responses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Vaccination against pseudorabies with glycoprotein gI+ or glycoprotein gI- vaccine

Subunit pseudorabies vaccines that contained only purified glycoproteins of either of 2 strains of pseudorabies virus (PRV) were prepared and subsequently tested for safety and efficacy. The strains of virus used for vaccine production differed in at least 2 properties. One strain (Kojnok) was virulent for pigs and was believed to code for the entire complement of viral glycoproteins. The other (Kaplan) was a deletion mutant that was unable to code for structural viral glycoproteins gI and gp63. Purified glycoproteins were dispersed in an oil-in-water emulsion and were administered IM to pigs. Both vaccines were found to be safe and effective immunogens. Neither caused any local or general reactions, as verified by examination of the injection site (local safety) and by vaccination of pregnant sows in PRV-infected and noninfected herds. Sows vaccinated with the gI+ or gI- vaccine protected their pigs at levels of 93 and 92%, respectively, against a severe challenge exposure that killed 98% of pigs born from nonvaccinated sows. Vaccinated pigs were tested for active immunity by intranasal challenge exposure with the NIA 3 strain. Protection was quantitated by measuring the relative daily weight difference, expressed in percent per day, between vaccinated and control pigs during the first week after challenge exposure (delta G7); the estimated differences were 2.25 and 2.13% for gI+ and gI- vaccines, respectively. The absence of gI and gp63 did not affect the efficacy of this type of subunit glycoprotein vaccines.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The effects of challenge on the humoral and cellular immune responses in pseudorabies vaccinated swine.

The effects of challenge exposure on the humoral and cellular immune responses in pseudorabies vaccinated swine were studied in 84 barrows. The pigs were divided into seven groups and challenge exposed to a virulent strain of pseudorabies virus on months 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12 and 14 after vaccination. The pigs were vaccinated with commercial attenuated and inactivated pseudorabies virus vaccines. The protection conferred by vaccination was equally effective with both types of vaccines. The levels of cellular and humoral immunity after challenge exposure in pigs vaccinated with either type of vaccine were similar. The cell-mediated immune response can be effectively used for the early detection of pigs exposed to pseudorabies virus. Virus isolation attempts from the brain and spleen in most of the vaccinated pigs were unsuccessful.     

伪狂犬病基因缺失疫苗株(SA215)某些生物学特性研究

本试验测定了伪狂犬病ｇＥ－／ｇＩ－／ ＴＫ－／ ＬａｃＺ＋基因缺失疫苗株（ＳＡ２１５）的致细胞病变效应、安全性、免疫原性和免疫期等生物学特性。试验结果显示,该疫苗株能在Ｖｅｒｏ细胞上适应生长,并形成典型的蚀斑。其对１日龄仔猪、怀孕母猪、牛、羊以及家兔安全,无不良接种反应,接种动物不向体外散毒。ＳＡ２１５疫苗接种猪能抵御高剂量（１０７ＰＦＵ）Ｆａ株强毒感染,攻毒后试验猪的发热期、增重受阻天数、散毒滴度均低于Ｂａｒｔｈａ株疫苗接种猪,远远低于对照组猪。ＳＡ２１５接种猪能维持长时间的高水平中和抗体滴度,免疫期可达半年以上。试验结果表明,ＳＡ２１５株是一株安全、免疫原性好、免疫期长的疫苗株。     

Intranasal vaccination of pigs against Aujeszky's disease: protective immunity at 2 weeks, 2 months and 4 months after vaccination in pigs with maternal antibodies.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the short- and long-term immunity after intranasal vaccination in pigs with maternally derived antibodies (MDA). In two experiments, 10-week-old pigs with moderate MDA titres against Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV) were vaccinated intranasally with the Bartha strain of ADV to evaluate the protective immunity conferred at 2 weeks, 2 months and 4 months after vaccination. Protection was evaluated on the basis of severity of clinical signs, periods of fever and growth arrest, and duration and amount of virus excreted after challenge with a virulent ADV. During the first 2-3 weeks after vaccination, antibodies to ADV continued to decline as in unvaccinated control pigs. After that, antibody titres stabilized or gradually increased. At 2 weeks, 2 months and 4 months after vaccination, vaccinated pigs were significantly better protected than unvaccinated controls. The vaccinated pigs challenged 2 weeks after vaccination hardly developed any sign of disease. Mild signs of Aujeszky's disease and a growth arrest period of 5 days were observed in vaccinated pigs challenged 2 months after vaccination, whereas vaccinated pigs challenged 4 months after vaccination developed severe signs of disease and a growth arrest period of 13 days. Vaccinated pigs challenged 2 weeks after vaccination did not excrete challenge virus, and pigs challenged 2 or 4 months after vaccination excreted far less virus than unvaccinated controls. The results demonstrate that intranasal ADV vaccination of pigs with moderate MDA titres protected them from 2 weeks to at least 4 months after vaccination. Immunity steadily declined, however, after vaccination.     

Pseudorabies virus latency and reactivation in vaccinated swine

Latency and reactivation of pseudorabies virus in swine was studied. Thirty-one pigs were assigned to 5 groups and were given 1 of 4 vaccines; 10 remained unvaccinated controls. All pigs were then challenge exposed with a sublethal dose of virulent pseudorabies virus. One hundred one days after challenge exposure, all pigs were treated with dexamethasone to reactivate the virus. Virus-positive tonsil and nasal mucus isolates were recovered from 29 of the 31 pigs over a 12-day period. Frequency and duration of virus-positivity were significantly (P less than 0.05) and consistently lower among vaccinated pigs than among the unvaccinated controls. It was concluded that vaccination before challenge exposure had little or no effect on the rate of establishment of virus latency, but that vaccination reduced shedding after subsequent reactivation of the virus.     

Development of an ELISA to differentiate between animals either vaccinated with or infected by Aujeszky's disease virus

The use of two monoclonal antibodies specific for glycoproteins GI and GIII of the pseudorabies virus led to the development of a competitive ELISA which made it possible to differentiate animals infected with pseudorabies virus from animals vaccinated with the strains of the virus Bartha, NAI4 or Norden. A postvaccinal serological response could be detected from three to four weeks after vaccination. After the virulent challenge of these vaccinated pigs an infectious serological response became apparent two weeks after the challenge.     

Antibody response of pigs to inactivated monovalent and bivalent vaccines for porcine parvovirus and pseudorabies virus

Groups of pigs vaccinated with an inactivated bivalent vaccine containing porcine parvovirus (PPV) and pseudorabies virus (PRV) developed geometric mean titers (GMT) of humoral antibody for each of the viruses as high or slightly higher than those of other groups of pigs that were vaccinated with inactivated monovalent vaccines containing one or the other of the same viruses. An increase in GMT after challenge exposure of vaccinated pigs to live virus indicated that vaccination did not prevent virus replication. However, an indication that replication was less extensive in vaccinated pigs was provided by the following. Although neither vaccinated nor nonvaccinated (control) pigs had clinical signs after exposure to the live PPV, the effect of vaccination was evident by the fact that GMT were higher in nonvaccinated pigs after exposure than they were in vaccinated pigs. Conversely, all pigs exposed to live PRV had clinical signs, but these signs varied between mild-to-moderate and transient for vaccinated pigs to severe and fatal for nonvaccinated pigs.     

Effect of experimental infection with pseudorabies (Aujeszky's disease) virus on pigs with maternal immunity from vaccinated sows.

Live-virus and inactivated-virus vaccines were used to immunize sows against pseudorabies (Aujeszky's disease) virus. To test the efficacy of the vaccination, 53 pigs of different ages were taken from the 1st and the 2nd litters of vaccinated sows and placed separately in isolation units. The pigs were challenge exposed with virulent pseudorabies virus and examined for clinical signs, virus excretion, and serologic reaction. The challenge inoculum caused severe nervous or respiratory signs of disease in 12 of the 13 control pigs, with a mortality of 76%. The pigs from the 1st litters of sows vaccinated with the live-virus vaccine did not become sick, whereas 2 of the 9 pigs (22%) from the 2nd litters had clinical signs and died of pseudorabies. All pigs from sows vaccinated with the inactivated-virus vaccine remained healthy. The results of virus isolation from oronasal swabs, combined with the serotest results, indicated that challenge exposure of all except 1 of the pigs resulted in a subclinical infection with the formation of active immunity.     

Immunogenicity in Aujeszky's disease virus structural glycoprotein gVI (gp50) in swine.

Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV) envelope glycoprotein gVI (gp50) was purified from virus-infected Vero cells by ion-exchange and immunoaffinity chromatography and its usefulness as a subunit vaccine was evaluated in active and passive immunization studies. Four-week-old piglets were immunized intramuscularly (IM) with purified gVI twice two weeks apart and challenged intranasally (IN) 10 days after the second immunization with 30 LD50 (10(8)PFU) of a virulent strain of ADV. Pigs, vaccinated with 100 micrograms of purified gVI, produced virus neutralizing antibodies and did not develop clinical signs after challenge exposure. The challenge virus was not isolated from nasal swabs and tonsils of gVI-vaccinated pigs, whereas non-vaccinated control pigs developed illness after challenge exposure with the same virulent ADV strain which was later recovered from their nasal swabs and tonsils. Pregnant sows vaccinated twice with purified gVI (IM) at a three week interval produced virus neutralizing antibodies in colostrum. Four-day-old sucking piglets born of vaccinated sows were passively protected by colostral antibodies against intranasal challenge with a lethal dose of virulent ADV. Sera from gVI-vaccinated pigs were distinguished from experimentally infected swine sera by their differential reactivity in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using four major viral glycoproteins (excluding gVI) as antigen purified by the use of lentil-lectin.     

Detection of wild-type Aujeszky's disease virus by polymerase chain reaction in sheep vaccinated with a modified live vaccine strain

An outbreak of Aujeszky's disease occurred in a flock of sheep which had been housed together with pigs. After the death of five sheep with clinical signs of Aujeszky's disease, the remaining sheep were vaccinated with the Bartha vaccine strain, and the pigs were vaccinated with the 783 vaccine strain of Aujeszky's disease virus. Despite vaccination, however, more sheep died. Brain tissues from four sheep were collected for virus isolation and for immunobistological examinations. Only vaccine virus (gE-negative) was detected in the tissue. After DNA restriction enzyme analysis of the isolated virus, DNA of one or both of the vaccine strains was detected in all sheep. In one sheep field virus DNA was also detected. However, when the polymerase chain reaction was performed on samples prepared from paraffin-embedded tissues, DNA of field virus (gE-positive) was detected in all four sheep. It was probable that the sheep had not yet mounted a sufficient immune response to the vaccine virus, or were already infected with field virus at the time of vaccination. We concluded that the sheep died from field virus infection and not from vaccine virus infection and that only the polymerase chain reaction made it possible to specifically detect even very small amounts of field virus DNA among vaccine virus DNA in all investigated sheep.     

A cross-protection experiment in pigs vaccinated with Haemophilus parasuis serovars 2 and 5 bacterins, and evaluation of a bivalent vaccine under laboratory and field conditions.

Cross-protection between Haemophilus parasuis serovars 2 and 5 was examined in pigs using a bacterin based vaccine, and subsequently the safety and efficacy of a bivalent vaccine were evaluated. Upon intratracheal challenge of a serovar 2 or 5 strain, pigs immunized with a monovalent vaccine were protected against challenge with a homologous serovar strain, but not with a heterologous serovar strain. Immunization with a bivalent vaccine containing both serovars 2 and 5 bacterins conferred protection in pigs against lethal challenge with each of the serovar strains. A total of 86 pigs from two SPF herds were injected with the bivalent vaccine intramuscularly twice at a four-week interval. No adverse reactions following the vaccination were observed. On day 7 after the second vaccination, vaccinated and non-vaccinated control pigs from herd A were transferred to herd B, where Glasser's disease had broken out. Pigs in the control group developed clinical signs of the disease, and 6 of 8 (75%) pigs died until slaughter, in contrast with only 4 of 46 (9%) pigs in the vaccinated group. In herd C, where there was no outbreak of Glasser's disease, complement fixation antibody titer was raised only in the vaccinated group. A challenge experiment on days 20 and 79 after the second vaccination showed that only the vaccinated pigs were protected. From these findings, the safety and efficacy of the bivalent vaccine were confirmed under laboratory and field conditions.     

Effect of various vaccination procedures on shedding, latency, and reactivation of attenuated and virulent pseudorabies virus in swine.

Various procedures of vaccination for pseudorabies were compared for their effects on shedding, latency, and reactivation of attenuated and virulent pseudorabies virus. The study included 6 groups: group 1 (10 swine neither vaccinated nor challenge-exposed), group 2 (20 swine not vaccinated, but challenge-exposed), and groups 3 through 6 (10 swine/group, all vaccinated and challenge-exposed). Swine were vaccinated with killed virus IM (group 3) or intranasally (group 4), or with live virus IM (group 5) or intranasally (group 6). The chronologic order of treatments was as follows: vaccination (week 0), challenge of immunity by oronasal exposure to virulent virus (week 4), biopsy of tonsillar tissue (week 12), treatment with dexamethasone in an attempt to reactivate latent virus (week 15), and necropsy (week 21). Vaccination IM with killed or live virus and vaccination intranasally with live virus mitigated clinical signs and markedly reduced the magnitude and duration of virus shedding after challenge exposure. Abatement of signs and shedding was most pronounced for swine that had been vaccinated intranasally with live virus. All swine, except 4 from group 2 and 1 from group 4, survived challenge exposure. Only vaccination intranasally with live virus was effective in reducing the magnitude and duration of virus shedding after virus reactivation. Vaccination intranasally with killed virus was without measurable effect on immunity. Of the 55 swine that survived challenge exposure, 54 were shown subsequently to have latent infections by use of dexamethasone-induced virus reactivation, and 53 were shown to have latent infections by use of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with trigeminal ganglia specimens collected at necropsy. Fewer swine were identified by PCR as having latent infections when other tissues were examined; 20 were identified by testing specimens of olfactory bulbs, 4 by testing tonsil specimens collected at necropsy, and 4 by testing tonsillar biopsy specimens. Eighteen of the 20 specimens of olfactory bulbs and 3 of the 4 tonsil specimens collected at necropsy in which virus was detected by PCR were from swine without detectable virus-neutralizing antibody at the time of challenge exposure. One pig that had been vaccinated intranasally with live virus shed vaccine virus from the nose and virulent virus from the pharynx concurrently after dexamethasone treatment. Evaluation of both viral populations for unique strain characteristics failed to provide evidence of virus recombination.     

Field experiments to evaluate the feasibility of eradication of Aujeszky's disease virus by different vaccination schedules.

In the present report, the extent of the reduction in Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV) dissemination achieved when pigs were intensively vaccinated with gI-deleted vaccines under field circumstances, was examined. On widely dispersed breeding-fattening farms, a gI-negative status was most rapidly obtained and the rate of new waves of infections was lowest when the attenuated Bartha strain was administered to both the sows and the fatteners. It was more difficult not only to reach but also to keep a gI-negative status on farms on which the sows were vaccinated with an inactivated vaccine and the fatteners with the attenuated Bartha strain or when the fattening pigs were not vaccinated at all. In a densely populated area, 9 of the 17 farms had gI-positive fatteners at the start of the intensive vaccination programme in which the attenuated Bartha strain was given to both the sows and the fatteners. Antibodies were not detected in the sera of the fatteners of each farm at some time during the experiments, but the fatteners on 7 of the 18 farms still showed antibodies against gI after 20 months of vaccination. At the end of the experiment, the percentage of fatteners with antibodies on these farms was markedly reduced compared with the percentage at the start of the experiment. Therefore, elimination of field virus may be feasible if intensive vaccination is carried out over a sufficiently long period of time. However, the high rate of reinfections experienced either due to reintroduction of the virus or to recrudescence should be a warning against too much optimism, particularly in regions with a dense swine population.     

Vaccine genotype and route of administration affect pseudorabies field virus latency load after challenge

The influence of vaccine genotype and route of administration on the efficacy of pseudorabies virus (PRV) vaccines against virulent PRV challenge was evaluated in a controlled experiment using five genotypically distinct modified live vaccines (MLVs) for PRV. Several of these MLVs share deletions in specific genes, however, each has its deletion in a different locus within that gene. Pigs were vaccinated with each vaccine, either via the intramuscular or intranasal route, and subsequently challenged with a highly virulent PRV field strain. During a 2-week period following challenge with virulent PRV, each of the vaccine strains used in this study was evaluated for its effectiveness in the reduction of clinical signs, prevention of growth retardation and virulent virus shedding. One month after challenge, tissues were collected and analyzed for virulent PRV latency load by a recently developed method for the electrochemiluminescent quantitation of latent herpesvirus DNA in animal tissues after PCR amplification. It was determined that all vaccination protocols provided protection against clinical signs resulting from field virus challenge and reduced both field virus shedding and latency load after field virus challenge. Our results indicated that vaccine efficacy was significantly influenced by the modified live vaccine strain and route of administration. Compared to unvaccinated pigs, vaccination reduced field virus latency load in trigeminal ganglia, but significant differences were found between vaccines and routes of administration. We conclude that vaccine genotype plays a role in the effectiveness of PRV MLVs.     

Immune response of sows and their offspring to pseudorabies virus: serum neutralization response to vaccination and field virus challenge.

One month prior to breeding, sows were vaccinated with an attenuated pseudorabies virus vaccine or challenged with a field strain of pseudorabies virus. A third group of sows were not vaccinated or challenged before breeding. Pigs from these sows were vaccinated at 3, 6, or 12 weeks of age and challenged with virulent virus three weeks later. One pig from each litter served as an unvaccinated, unchallenged control. Serum neutralization titers of these pigs were monitored from birth until 22 weeks of age. Titers of the sows were monitored through breeding, gestation and farrowing. The maximum prefarrowing anti-pseudorabies virus titer in the field virus challenged sows occurred four weeks following challenge. A significant decline in titers occurred at farrowing. Titers rose from one week postfarrowing and then declined. Titers in the field virus infected sows were consistently two to threefold greater than those of the vaccinated sows. The maximum prefarrowing anti-pseudorabies virus titer in the vaccinated sows occurred six weeks following vaccination. The geometric mean titer in these sow's then decreased and increased for two weeks after farrowing. The results in the pigs can be summarized as follows: Pigs from control sows had a greater serological response following field virus challenge than following vaccination with a modified live virus. Pigs from control sows responded serologically to vaccination at 3, 6 and 12 weeks of age. Pigs from control sows which were challenged at 6, 9 and 15 weeks of age had similar antibody responses. Pigs from vaccinated sows had no increase in titer following vaccination at three and six weeks of age. Titers increased when these pigs were vaccinated at 12 weeks of age. There was no significant increase in mean titers of pigs from challenged sows following vaccination at 3, 6 and 12 weeks of age. Vaccinated pigs from control and vaccinated sows had a secondary response following challenge three weeks after vaccination.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Relationship among transmissible gastroenteritis virus antibody titers in serum, colostrum, and milk from vaccinated sows, and protection in their suckling pigs

We studied the antibody responses to transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE) in serum, colostrum, and milk from sows vaccinated with 2 attenuated (1 IM and 1 oral-IM) and 1 nonattenuated live vaccines and the relationship of these responses with the survivability of the sow's suckling pigs after challenge exposure with virulent TGE virus. Contrary to previous studies, the anti-TGE virus-neutralizing geometric mean titers (GMT) in the milk of sows vaccinated with attenuated vaccines at 3 and 5 days of lactation were similar to that found in the colostrum. Colostral and serum antibody titers were highest in sows given 2 injections of the IM attenuated vaccine. Half of the sows given the oral-IM attenuated vaccine did not seroconvert after 2 oral doses. Only sows vaccinated with the nonattenuated live vaccine had milk GMT that remained high for 21 days after farrowing. The linear relationship between colostral GMT and percentage of survivability of suckling pigs challenge exposed at 3 days of age was significant (P less than 0.05), although the relationship between serum GMT and percentage of survivability and the relationship between milk GMT and percentage of survivability were not significant (P greater than 0.10). The linear relationship between colostral (P less than 0.10) or pre-challenge exposure milk (P less than 0.05) GMT and percentage of survivability of suckling pigs challenge exposed at 5 days of age was significant.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Duration of the protection of an E2 subunit marker vaccine against classical swine fever after a single vaccination

The period during which pigs are protected after vaccination is important for the successful usage of a marker vaccine against classical swine fever virus (CSFV) in an eradication programme. In four animal experiments with different vaccination-challenge intervals we determined the duration of protection of an E2 subunit marker vaccine in pigs after a single vaccination. Unvaccinated pigs were included in each group to detect transmission of the challenge virus.Three groups of six pigs were vaccinated once and subsequently inoculated with the virulent CSFV strain Brescia after a vaccination-challenge interval of 3, 51/2, 6 or 13 months. All vaccinated pigs, 16 out of 18, with neutralising antibodies against CSFV at the moment of challenge, 3, 51/2, 6 or 13 months later, survived, whereas unvaccinated control pigs died from acute CSF or were killed being moribund. A proportion of the vaccinated pigs did however develop fever or cytopenia after challenge and two vaccinated pigs were viremic after challenge. Virus transmission of vaccinated and challenged pigs to unvaccinated sentinel pigs did not occur in groups of pigs which were challenged 3 or 6 months after a single vaccination. Two out of eight vaccinated pigs that were found negative for CSFV neutralising antibody at 13 months after vaccination died after subsequent challenge.The findings in this study demonstrate that pigs can be protected against a lethal challenge of CSFV for up to 13 months after a single vaccination with an E2 subunit marker vaccine.