Parvovirus infections in dogs and cats: problems of immunization

The general problems of immunization against parvoviroses are only understandable when knowing the basic principles of epidemiology, pathogenesis and immunology of those virus infections. The main difficulties with regard to vaccinations are 1. efficacy of homologous respectively heterologous vaccines, 2. indications for live resp. inactivated vaccines, 3. combination with other vaccines, 4. bridging of the "immunological gap" (refractory phase) of puppies, 5. mode of application and timing of vaccinations (schedule of vaccinations), 6. failure in vaccinated animals, 7. complications originating from vaccinations, 8. passive immunization.     

Clinical experience with kennel-specific E. coli oral vaccines in dogs

Kennel-specific oral E. coli vaccines were tested for efficacy and side effects at breeding and boarding kennels with severe diarrhoea problems. Oral vaccines contained heat inactivated E. coli bacteria from specific kennels and were given once daily for 14 days. Oral vaccines were administered directly orally to puppies while for adult dogs vaccines were mixed with daily food rations. In breeding kennels with 4 to 10 week old puppies suffering from non-fatal diarrhoea, the oral immunization led to a decrease in morbidity from 86.5% to 0%. In kennels with some cases of fatal diarrhoea the rate of morbidity decreased from 45% to 21% and the mortality rate from 25% to 10.3% after using the vaccination. By vaccinating adult dogs in boarding kennels the morbidity rate dropped from 83.5% to 6.5% and the mortality rate from 4.1% to 0.5%. The kennel specific oral E. coli vaccine was found to be free of side effects. No adverse effects were observed in either puppies or adult dogs.     

Experiences with a new cat coryza-panleukopenia-rabies combined vaccine

The development of a new combined vaccine against cat flu, panleukopenia and rabies should lead to a simplification of the vaccination calendar in small animal practice. In order to judge the suitability of the new vaccine, its efficacy, local tolerability, and safety were evaluated. All vaccinated cats developed high antibody titres against herpes-, calici-, panleukopenia- and rabies virus that persisted well during the trial of 18 months. In comparison to other vaccines containing a smaller number of antigens the suitability of the vaccine on trial could be shown.     

鲖爱德华菌口服疫苗对斑点鲖的免疫效果

为评价鲖爱德华菌口服微球疫苗对斑点鲖的免疫效果,实验以天然高分子聚合物海藻酸钠和鲖爱德华菌灭活疫苗为材料,制备鲖爱德华菌口服微球疫苗。将实验动物随机分为鲖爱德华菌微球疫苗组、鲖爱德华菌灭活疫苗组、空微球组和对照组,以拌料口服方式进行免疫,通过检测血清中溶菌酶活力、总超氧化物歧化酶(T-SOD)活力、补体替代途径(ACH50)活性等非特异性免疫指标,抗体效价以及相对免疫保护率评价疫苗免疫效果,采用荧光定量PCR检测口服疫苗对斑点鲖免疫相关基因表达量的影响。结果显示,鲖爱德华菌口服微球疫苗能够较长时间增强斑点鲖非特异性免疫功能;血清凝集效价于第5周达到峰值,为1∶16,免疫后第7周仍可检测到特异性抗体;口服鲖爱德华菌微球疫苗的斑点鲖获得的抗鲖爱德华菌相对免疫保护率为60.7%,远高于灭活疫苗组(14.3%)及空微球组(10.7%);荧光定量分析结果显示,攻毒后48 h相比攻毒前各免疫基因表达量均有上调,鲖爱德华菌微球疫苗对受免鱼肾脏、脾脏中免疫基因的表达影响尤为明显。结果表明,鲖爱德华菌口服微球疫苗能增强斑点鲖非特异性免疫功能,对鲖爱德华菌病起到一定的预防作用。     

黄芪多糖佐剂对大菱鲆五联疫苗免疫增效作用

用福尔马林灭活哈维氏弧菌、鳗弧菌、迟钝爱德华氏菌、大菱鲆弧菌和溶藻胶弧菌制备成五联灭活疫苗,添加黄芪多糖作为佐剂。分别用添加黄芪多糖佐剂组和无佐剂组对大菱鲆进行腹腔注射,在第7、14、21、28、35、42、56天采取血样并检测抗体效价、溶菌酶活力和SOD活力,第56天进行人工攻毒实验,测定免疫保护力。结果表明,黄芪多糖佐剂组(免疫组2)和无佐剂组(免疫组1)两组的溶菌酶活力和SOD活力都在第28天达到最高值,且黄芪多糖佐剂组显著高于无佐剂组(P<0.05)。两个免疫组抗体效价也都在第28天达到最大值,但黄芪多糖佐剂组要显著高于无佐剂组(P<0.05),其中免疫组2的哈维氏弧菌、鳗弧菌、迟钝爱德华氏菌、大菱鲆弧菌和溶藻胶弧菌的抗体效价分别为27.25、26.75、28.5、28.75、26.25,免疫组1分别为26、25.75、26.75、27.5、25。用上述5种细菌分别进行人工攻毒实验,结果表明,免疫组2的免疫保护力依次为50.0%、50.0%、71.4%、62.5%、44.4%;免疫组1的免疫保护力依次为37.5%、30.0%、42.9%、50.0%、33.3%。实验结果证明,五联疫苗对大菱鲆具有免疫作用,而且添加黄芪多糖佐剂组的免疫效果显著好于无佐剂组。     

Inactivated infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) vaccines

The inactivation dynamics of infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) by b-propiolactone (BPL), binary ethylenimine (BEI), formaldehyde or heat and the antigenic and immunogenic properties of the inactivated vaccines were evaluated. Chemical treatment of IHNV with 2.7 mm BPL, 1.5 mm BEI or 50 mm formaldehyde abolished virus infectivity within 48 h whereas heat treatment at 50 or 100 degrees C rendered the virus innocuous within 30 min. The inactivated IHNV vaccines were recognized by rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, IHNV-specific antibodies and were differentially recognized by antigenic site I or antigenic site II IHNV glycoprotein-specific neutralizing monoclonal antibodies. The BPL inactivated whole virus vaccine was highly efficacious in vaccinated rainbow trout challenged by waterborne exposure to IHNV 7, 28, 42 or 56 days (15 degrees C) after immunization. The formaldehyde inactivated whole virus vaccine was efficacious 7 or 11 days after vaccination of rainbow trout but performed inconsistently when tested at later time points. The other vaccines tested were not efficacious.     

Vaccination of turbot, Psetta maxima (L.), against the protozoan parasite Philasterides dicentrarchi: effects on antibody production and protection

The efficacy of a vaccine against the fish pathogen Philasterides dicentrarchi was evaluated in turbot by measuring the production of specific antibodies and duration of protection. Four groups of turbot were vaccinated twice, on days 0 and 30, with phosphate-buffered saline, mineral oil adjuvant, antigen or antigen plus adjuvant. Specific serum antibodies were determined on day 0 and 1 month after the first and the second vaccinations. Protection was evaluated 1 month after the first vaccination and 1 and 5 months after the second vaccination. Serum antibody titres, measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and protection, assessed by challenges, increased significantly 1 month after the second vaccination in the group injected with antigen plus adjuvant and the protection lasted for at least a further 5 months in this group. The relative protection was 77% and 66% 1 and 5 months after the second vaccination, respectively. Administration of antigen or adjuvant separately had no effect on antibody response or protection. The results indicate that emulsion containing antigen plus adjuvant induced durable protection against P. dicentrarchi after the administration of the two vaccinations, and that this preparation can be used as a vaccine against the pathogen.     

草鱼出血病基因疫苗的免疫效果

为探讨含有草鱼呼肠孤病毒外衣壳蛋白VP6基因的重组基因疫苗对草鱼出血病的免疫效果,将重组基因疫苗分别配制为10、30和60μg三个梯度,同时设30μg pFastBacTMDual空载体组,均以等体积的氢氧化铝佐剂为免疫增强剂,对草鱼进行注射,以未经处理的草鱼作为对照组。定期采血测定抗体效价,最后对各组草鱼进行攻毒试验并计算死亡率和免疫保护力。结果显示：注射疫苗的三组草鱼均产生抗体,10μg组效价为1：6～1：11;30μg组为1：9-1：13;60μg组为1：11-1：17,且各组效价均在第28天测定最高,免疫保护率依次为100％、100％和95％,而空载体组和对照组为70％和0％。研究表明,疫苗能够诱导草鱼产生免疫反应,为草鱼出血病核酸疫苗的生产应用和产业化提供了重要的理论依据。     

Toxocara canis: frequency of detection and extent of infection in bitches of various breeds and husbandry and their litters in South Germany

Epidemiological investigations of 100 randomly selected dog families in Southern Germany revealed eggs of Toxocara canis in 67% of the litters and in 45% of the bitches. Eggs were isolated from litters at the earliest on the 16th day and at the latest on the 55th day post partum, in bitches on the 19th and 60th day respectively after giving birth. With regard to the coproscopically detected frequency of T. canis eggs in separate analyses of the dog breeds, only slight differences were found; very large breeds, however, revealed substantially a greater excretion extent. An evaluation exclusively concerned with the way the dog families were kept showed a higher percentage of 76.2% for litters from kennels than among those kept indoors, which amounted only to 51.4%. Relating the excretion extent to the number of additionally kept fully grown dogs/breeder, evident correlations were found, as the number of positive litters increased together with the number of additionally kept adult dogs/dog family. In comparison with dog families exclusively kept indoors, kennel dogs had a higher extent of excretion. Regarding the number of litters born per year/stock compared with excretion extent a positive correlation could be drawn for dog families up to 5 litters/year only. The number of litters born per bitch had no influence on the excretion extent of the litters. Correlations between the number of anthelminthic treatments of litters or bitches during and following pregnancy and the excretion extent of T. canis could not be deduced. The litters remained positive even after 5-8 treatments during the investigation period of 9 weeks and positive results continued after the puppies had been sold.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Experiences with oral immunization of foxes against rabies in Hesse

Since spring 1983 a field trial to immunize foxes by the oral route against rabies has been carried out in a heavily infected area of Hessen measuring about 1,500 km2. The vaccine strain SAD B 19, produced by the Federal Research Institute for Animal Virus Diseases at Tübingen and filled into 2 ml aliquots, was inserted into chicken heads and distributed by forest rangers in the trial area, 15 baits per km2. Up to the present day five baiting campaigns, two per year in spring and autumn, have been completed and in all 110,000 vaccine baits additionally marked with 150 mg tetracycline were layed out. Four baitings have been previously evaluated. With the exception of some rabies cases on the border to the unvaccinated region in the northwest, rabies was reduced impressively. A secondary outbreak in the region of Hausen/Kiedrich, caused by an extremely high density of the fox population, was eradicated by increasing the baits to 25 per km2. The number of rabies cases, which amounted to 238 within 15 months prior to the vaccination trial, went down from 38 in the first 6 months to 6 cases after the fourth baiting. As innocuity control 2,273 wild and domestic animals from the vaccination area were examined for the presence of the vaccine virus. The results were always negative indicating that rabies strain SAD B 19 had not established an infective cycle in wildlife. As could be shown by the marker studies, an average of 78 per cent of the foxes (variation of the baitings from 62 per cent to 82 per cent) had taken up one or more baits. Seroconversion had been achieved in 65 per cent of the foxes (variation from 43 per cent to 70 per cent) as demonstrated by the presence of neutralizing antibodies. From experiences in Switzerland it can be expected, that rabies will be extinguished, if 50 per cent of the population are successfully immunized. This value has been surpassed in the field trial in Hessen. These very promising results have led to the project of an enlargement of the vaccination area to 12,000 km2. The neighbouring states of Rheinland-Pfalz and Nordrhein-Westfalen have joined in this effort, which has started in autumn 1985 with a new artificial vaccine bait developed at the Tübingen research institute.     

Oral vaccination of foxes against rabies in free game areas--a field trial

It is reported about a field trial of oral vaccination of foxes against rabies, started in some Bavarian districts. The planning stage, the preparation of baits and their distribution, and the subsequent investigations to evaluate the field trial are outlined. The vaccine will be produced by the Federal Research Institute for Animal Diseases at Tübingen. 110,000 vaccine baits were laid out in 4 vaccination campaigns within 2 years. In no instance vaccine virus could be reisolated from animals collected in the vaccination zone. About 50% of the foxes were successfully immunized.     

Oral and parenteral vaccines against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Flavobacterium columnare</Emphasis>: evaluation of humoral immune response by ELISA and in vivo efficiency in Nile tilapia (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oreochromis niloticus</Emphasis>)

Flavobacterium columnare is a bacterial pathogen for many freshwater fish species. It is responsible for outbreaks in fish farms worldwide, causing high mortality rates. Fish vaccination is a potential approach for prevention and control of disease, with oral vaccines suitable for fish because of their easier application, low cost and minimum stress to fish. Alginate microparticles have been widely used as controlled release systems, including for fish vaccination. The aim of this study was to evaluate the capacity of oral and parenteral vaccines against F. columnare to induce a humoral response, as well as the in vivo efficiency in Nile tilapia fingerlings. The fingerlings were immunized with bacterin by intraperitoneal (i.p.), intramuscular (i.m.), oral and immersion routes, as well as orally with alginate microparticles containing formalin-killed bacteria. A sandwich ELISA was developed to detect specific antibodies against F. columnare. The animals were challenged with pathogenic strain BZ-1 to determine the relative percentage of survival. A significant humoral response was induced by bacterin administered by i.p. and i.m. routes (P < 0.05). However, none of the vaccine preparations were effective in protecting fish against F. columnare infection (P < 0.05). In spite of high antibody levels, there was no relation between immunoglobulin titers and resistance to columnaris for Nile tilapia fingerlings. These data suggest that use of serological analysis as the only method to determine vaccine efficiency against F. columnare infection in Nile tilapia can lead to imprecise results for the usefulness of these products in vivo.     

Survival and humoral antibody response of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., vaccinated against Aeromonas salmonicida ssp. achromogenes

Atlantic salmon were vaccinated against Aeromonas salmonicida ssp. achromogenes (Asa) by injection with three vaccines developed in our laboratory and an autogenous bacterin (IcelandBiojec.OO, IBOO) produced by a commercial vaccine producer. The humoral antibody responses to bacterial antigens were monitored by ELISA and Western blotting. The fish were challenged by infection with Asa 6 and 12 weeks post-vaccination. Protection was induced in all groups of vaccinated fish. The protection achieved was time-dependent. The autogenous bacterin, IBOO, induced a protective immune response later than our experimental vaccines. All the vaccines tested induced specific antibody response that increased between 6 and 12 weeks after vaccination. The antibody response was mainly directed against the A-layer protein, but antibodies to other bacterial components were also detected. Significant correlation was obtained between the antibody titre to extracellular Asa antigens, induced by the different vaccine preparations, and survival of vaccinated fish challenged by a virulent Asa strain. Furthermore, the detection of antibodies directed against an extracellular toxic metallo-caseinase, AsaP1, in fish sera correlated with protection.     

Lactococcus garvieae outbreaks in Brazilian farms Lactococcosis in Pseudoplatystoma sp. – development of an autogenous vaccine as a control strategy

This study evaluated the control of streptococcosis outbreaks in Brazil, isolated from diseased sorubim and identified as Lactococcus garvieae by genetic sequencing. This report determined the potential for lactococcosis control in sorubim Pseudoplatystoma sp. with two vaccines: an aqueous‐based, whole‐cell inactivated vaccine (bacterin) and an oil‐adjuvanted bacterin. Their efficacy was evaluated at 30 days post‐vaccination (d.p.v.) by challenge with L. garvieae, and the antibody production response at 15, 30 and 60 d.p.v. and the non‐specific immune response were compared amongst treatments. High protection levels (P < 0.05) were achieved with the oil‐adjuvanted vaccine with a relative percentage survival value of 81.7% at 30 d.p.v. Additionally, the oil‐adjuvanted vaccine increased the immunogenicity of the bacterin as indicated by greater agglutination antibody titres from 15 until 60 d.p.v. This is the first report of a positive effect of vaccine administration on the specific immunity of sorubim, and the study showed that a specific antibody plays an important role in sorubim defence against lactococcosis because the innate immune responses were similar in all of the studied animals. These results demonstrated that oil‐adjuvanted vaccine can be an effective alternative for the protection of sorubim from L. garvieae disease.     

Characterization of Weissella ceti infections in Brazilian rainbow trout,Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), farms and development of an oil-adjuvanted vaccine

Weissella ceti is an emerging bacterial pathogen that affects rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), farms. The aims of this study were to genotype W. ceti strains isolated from distinct geographical origins and to determine the efficacy of an oil-adjuvanted vaccine against the disease. Between 2010 and 2012, outbreaks were recorded in five Brazilian farms, and 34 W. ceti isolates were genetically characterized by repetitive extragenic palindromic PCR, enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus sequences PCR and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Two different W. ceti vaccines were tested: an aqueous-based whole-cell inactivated vaccine (bacterin) and oil-adjuvanted vaccine. Their efficacy was evaluated in rainbow trout at 30 and 60 days post-vaccination (d.p.v.). W. ceti was found to be a highly homogeneous population in Brazil, with clonally related genotypes. Oil-adjuvanted vaccine exhibited the best (P < 0.05) protection against disease, reaching relative percentage survival (RPS)values of 92% at 30 and 60 d.p.v. Bacterin resulted in RPS values of 67% and 58% at day 30 and 60, respectively. The oil-adjuvanted vaccine provided effective protection against W. ceti infection in rainbow trout.     

草鱼出血病病毒vp6核酸疫苗的免疫效果评估

为了评估草鱼出血病病毒(GCRV)vp6基因核酸疫苗的免疫效果,将vp6基因克隆进pFastBacTMDual载体杆状病毒的多角体蛋白(Ph)启动子下游,同时将团头鲂(Megalobrama amblycephala)β-actin启动子控制的vp6基因克隆进杆状病毒的P10启动子下游,获核酸疫苗载体pFastBac-FA-VP6-ph-VP6。按每尾分别注射疫苗载体10、30、60μg的剂量免疫草鱼(Ctenopharyngodon idellus)(体长14～20 cm,体质量60～120 g),同设pFastBacTMDual载体(30μg/尾)阴性对照组及空白对照组(0.4 mL/尾无菌水)。于免疫后不同时间通过RT-PCR检测免疫鱼体中vp6基因的表达,并于免疫后第14、21、28、49、70天分别通过间接凝集反应检测血液中的抗体水平,并在免疫第21天感染GCRV评估免疫保护效果。结果显示,核酸疫苗免疫草鱼后,各免疫组均有抗体产生,抗体效价在免疫后第28天达到最高;攻毒后每尾注射疫苗载体10、30、60μg组的死亡率分别为0%、0%、5%,pFastBacTMDual载体对照组和空白对照组分别为30%和100%。表明构建的核酸疫苗对草鱼病毒性出血病有较好的免疫保护效果。     

草鱼出血病病毒VP6蛋白的原核表达、纯化及免疫效果

为了探讨草鱼出血病病毒(GCRV)VP6亚单位疫苗对草鱼出血病的免疫保护作用,将vp6基因克隆进原核表达载体pET-28a(+),构建了重组质粒pET28a(+)-VP6。SDS-PAGE和Western-blotting显示,重组VP6蛋白的分子量约为43 ku,主要以包涵体形式存在,重组蛋白占菌体总蛋白的20%左右;Ni2+柱纯化后的重组蛋白,以每尾500μg肌肉注射免疫草鱼(14～20 cm,60～120 g),并在第14、21、28、49、70天通过间接凝集反应检测抗体水平,结果显示,免疫注射后第14天可检测到鱼体产生的特异性抗体,第21天达到最高峰,第70天仍可检测到抗体的存在;免疫注射第21天人工接种GCRV,免疫后的草鱼对出血病的保护力达100%。     

Oral immunization of rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri Richardson, against vibriosis with vaccines protected against digestive degradation

Abstract. In order to reduce digestive degradation of vaccines against vibriosis when administered orally to fish, two methods of protecting the antigens were tested. Lyophilized vaccine was either incorporated into a slow-release pellet or coated by an acid-resistant film. These vaccines were compared to both oral vaccination by an unprotected vaccine as well as to standard vaccination methods of immersion and injection. However, mortalities after an artificial challenge showed that the efficacy of the protected vaccines was lower than that of the unprotected vaccine given orally and the standard vaccination procedures. The reason for this is probably that the important antigens of vibriosis vaccines are lipopolysaccharides which are little affected by gastric digestion, and the coating of the vaccine or incorporation into slow-release pellets resulted only in reduced absorption of the antigens.     

鸡致病性大肠杆菌油乳剂灭活苗的制备

从山西某地3家鸡场分离出6株鸡大肠杆菌。将分离菌株分别接种试验动物,对小白鼠致死率达83.33%。选择全部致死小白鼠的菌株制成每毫升含100亿个大肠杆菌的油乳剂灭活苗。经试验证明,本疫苗安全、有效。每只鸡免疫接种0.5mL,临床无不良反应,对地方性鸡大肠杆菌病有较好的预防作用。     

Assessment of cross‐protection to heterologous strains of Flavobacterium psychrophilum following vaccination with a live‐attenuated coldwater disease immersion vaccine

Bacterial coldwater disease, caused by Flavobacterium psychrophilum, remains one of the most significant bacterial diseases of salmonids worldwide. A previously developed and reported live‐attenuated immersion vaccine (F. psychrophilum; B.17‐ILM) has been shown to confer significant protection to salmonids. To further characterize this vaccine, a series of experiments were carried out to determine the cross‐protective efficacy of this B.17‐ILM vaccine against 9 F. psychrophilum isolates (representing seven sequence types/three clonal complexes as determined by multilocus sequence typing) in comparison with a wild‐type virulent strain, CSF‐259‐93. To assess protection, 28‐day experimental challenges of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fry were conducted following immersion vaccinations with the B.17‐ILM vaccine. F. psychrophilum strains used in challenge trials were isolated from several fish species across the globe; however, all were found to be virulent in rainbow trout. The B.17‐ILM vaccine provided significant protection against all strains, with relative percent survival values ranging from 51% to 72%. All vaccinated fish developed an adaptive immune response (as measured by F. psychrophilum‐specific antibodies) that increased out to the time of challenge (8 weeks postimmunization). Previous studies have confirmed that antibody plays an important role in protection against F. psychrophilum challenge; therefore, specific antibodies to the B.17‐ILM vaccine strain appear to contribute to the cross‐protection observed to heterologous strain. The ability of such antibodies to bind to similar antigenic regions for all strains was confirmed by western blot analyses. Results presented here support the practical application of this live‐attenuated vaccine, and suggest that it will be efficacious even in aquaculture operations affected by diverse strains of F. psychrophilum.