Serum antibody response to carbohydrate antigens of Pasteurella haemolytica serotype 1: relation to experimentally induced bovine pneumonic pasteurellosis

The antibody responses to the capsular carbohydrate (CC) purified from Pasteurella haemolytica serotype 1 were determined by an ELISA, using 135 sera from 6 calves vaccinated with phosphate-buffered saline solution, formalin-killed P haemolytica bacterins, live P haemolytica, or an extract of P haemolytica referred to as carbohydrate-protein subunit (CPS). Calves vaccinated with live P haemolytica, bacterins, or CPS developed serum antibodies to CC. Bacterins containing Freund incomplete adjuvant or Freund complete adjuvant induced higher antibody responses than did bacterins containing aluminum hydroxide. In 4 of 6 experiments, high antibody responses to CC were significantly (P less than 0.05) correlated with resistance to transthoracic challenge exposure with P haemolytica. When calves were challenge exposed with a dose of P haemolytica that was 4.5 times greater than the standard challenge exposure dose or when calves that had been vaccinated with CPS were challenge exposed, antibody responses did not significantly (P greater than 0.05) correlate with resistance to challenge exposure. The amount of serum antibodies to CPS increased significantly (P less than 0.05) when calves were vaccinated with live or killed P haemolytica or with CPS, compared with that in calves given saline solution. In 5 of 6 experiments, correlation between high antibody responses and resistance to challenge exposure was significant (P less than 0.05). The correlation between those variables was not significant (P less than 0.07) for CPS-vaccinated calves. In the ELISA, treatment of CPS with sodium m-periodate, to oxidize periodate-sensitive carbohydrate epitopes, failed to markedly alter the antibody response to CPS.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)