Research Note: The immune enhancement ability of inulin on ptfA gene DNA vaccine of avian Pasteurella multocida

Global commercialization and research of veterinary vaccines against Pasteurella multocida: 2015-2022 technological surveillance

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Pasteurella multocida can infect a multitude of wild and domesticated animals, bacterial vaccines have become a crucial tool in combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in animal production. The study aimed to evaluate the current status and scientific trends related to veterinary vaccines against Pasteurella multocida during the 2015-2022 period.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The characteristics of globally marketed vaccines were investigated based on the official websites of 22 pharmaceutical companies. VOSviewer® 1.6.18 was used to visualize networks of coauthorship and cooccurrence of keywords from papers published in English and available in Scopus.

RESULTS

Current commercial vaccines are mostly inactivated (81.7%), adjuvanted in aluminum hydroxide (57.8%), and designed to immunize cattle (33.0%). Investigational vaccines prioritize the inclusion of attenuated strains, peptide fragments, recombinant proteins, DNA as antigens, aluminum compounds as adjuvants and poultry as the target species.

CONCLUSION

Despite advances in genetic engineering and biotechnology, there will be no changes in the commercial dominance of inactivated and aluminum hydroxide-adjuvanted vaccines in the short term (3-5 years). The future prospects for bacterial vaccines in animal production are promising, with advancements in vaccine formulation and genetic engineering, they have the potential to improve the sustainability of the industry. It is necessary to continue with the studies to improve the efficacy of the vaccines and their availability.

Pasteurellosis Vaccine Commercialization: Physiochemical Factors for Optimum Production

Pasteurella spp. are Gram-negative facultative bacteria that cause severe economic and animal losses. Pasteurella-based vaccines are the most promising solution for controlling Pasteurella spp. outbreaks. Remarkably, insufficient biomass cultivation (low cell viability and productivity) and lack of knowledge about the cultivation process have impacted the bulk production of animal vaccines. Bioprocess optimization in the shake flask and bioreactor is required to improve process efficiency while lowering production costs. However, its state of the art is limited in providing insights on its biomass upscaling, preventing a cost-effective vaccine with mass-produced bacteria from being developed. In general, in the optimum cultivation of Pasteurella spp., production factors such as pH (6.0–8.2), agitation speed (90–500 rpm), and temperature (35–40 °C) are used to improve production yield. Hence, this review discusses the production strategy of Pasteurella and Mannheimia species that can potentially be used in the vaccines for controlling pasteurellosis. The physicochemical factors related to operational parameter process conditions from a bioprocess engineering perspective that maximize yields with minimized production cost are also covered, with the expectation of facilitating the commercialization process.

The effect of inulin-type fructans on the intestinal immune function of antibiotic-treated mice

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of supplementation with inulin-type fructans (ITFs) on the intestinal immune function in the context of dysbiosis resulting from antibiotic cocktail (ABx) treatment. BALB/c mice (8-9 weeks of age) were treated with an ABx for 3 weeks and then allowed to recover spontaneously or with ITF supplementation (5%) for 4 weeks. Our results showed that ABx treatment can induce gut microbiota dysbiosis and intestinal inflammation in mice. After 4 weeks of recovery, ITF supplementation restored the composition of the intestinal microbial community. However, compared with spontaneous recovery, ITF supplementation delayed inflammation recovery in the intestine and upregulated diamine oxidase (DAO) activity and increased lipopolysaccharide (LPS) content in serum. In addition, ITF supplementation delayed the regulatory T (Treg) cell and B cell recovery in the lamina propria (LP). Furthermore, compared with spontaneous recovery, ITF supplementation inhibited the relative expression of certain proinflammatory genes, such as for inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and tumour necrosis factor α (Tnf-α), in the colon, but it reduced the secretion of the anti-inflammatory mediator transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) in serum, reduced the secretion of secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) in the colon and promoted the secretion of the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-17A. In conclusion, these data supported the hypothesis that the influence of ITFs on the host's intestinal status is not always beneficial in the context of ABx-induced biological disorder. However, the significance of these findings needs to be determined by advanced studies KEY POINTS: • ITFs did not promote the recovery of microbial community composition. • ITFs delayed the recovery of ABx-induced colonic inflammation. • ITFs reduced the secretion of TGF-β1 and SIgA. • ITFs delayed the recovery of Treg and B cells in the LP.

Immunogenicity and protection of a Pasteurella multocida strain with a truncated lipopolysaccharide outer core in ducks

Pasteurella multocida infection frequently causes fowl cholera outbreaks, leading to huge economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. This study developed a novel live attenuated P. multocida vaccine strain for ducks named PMZ2 with deletion of the gatA gene and first four bases of the hptE gene, both of which are required for the synthesis of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) outer core. PMZ2 produced a truncated LPS phenotype and was highly attenuated in ducks with a > 10⁵-fold higher LD₅₀ than the wild-type strain. PMZ2 colonized the blood and organs, including the spleen, liver and lung, at remarkably reduced levels, and its high dose of oral infection did not cause adverse effects on body temperatures and body weights in ducks. To evaluate the vaccine efficacy of the mutant, ducklings were inoculated orally or intranasally with PMZ2 or PBS twice and subsequently subjected to a lethal challenge. Compared with the PBS control, PMZ2 immunization stimulated significantly elevated serum IgG, bile IgA and tracheal IgA responses, especially after the boost immunization in both the oral and intranasal groups, and the induced serum had significant bactericidal effects against the wild-type strain. Furthermore, the two PMZ2 immunization groups exhibited alleviated tissue lesions and significantly decreased bacterial loads in the blood and organs compared with the PBS group post-challenge. All the ducks in the PMZ2 oral and intranasal groups survived the challenge, while 70% of ducks in the PBS group succumbed to the challenge. Thus, the P. multocida mutant with mutation of the gatA gene and part of the hptE gene proved to be an effective live attenuated vaccine candidate for prevention of fowl cholera in ducks.