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Title: PURIFICATION OF A CROSS-PROTECTIVE ANTIGEN FROM PASTEURELLA MULTOCIDA GROWN IN VITRO AND IN VIVO

Author
item RIMLER, RICHARD - USDA/ARS/NADC, AMES, IA

Submitted to: Avian Diseases
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/22/2001
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Live-attenuated vaccines and bacterins of Pasteurella multocida are widely used to control fowl cholera in chickens and turkeys. Although some success has been achieved with vaccines and bacterins currently available, fowl cholera continues to pose a major problem to the poultry industry. The need for improved vaccines has led researchers to focus on determining which antigens are involved in immune protection. Of particular interest is an antigen called cross-protection factor (CPF), which protects birds against different serotypes of P. multocida. However, few or no CPF are expressed when the bacteria are grown on the usual laboratory media. In this study, a peptone-based laboratory medium was formulated to grow P. multocida in vitro, which expressed CPF. A CPF containing preparation from these bacteria induced active immunity in turkeys, and sera from these turkeys passively cross-protected naive poults. Overall, corollary benefits of this work include an increase in the profitability and international competitiveness of the U. S. poultry industry, a stronger rural economy, and a continued supply of inexpensive, wholesome poultry and poultry products for the American consumer.

Technical Abstract: A peptone-based medium was formulated to grow Pasteurella multocida in vitro which expressed an antigen that induces cross-protection in turkeys against different serotypes. Vaccines of various chromatographic fractions obtained from P. multocida grown in the medium induced active immune cross- protection in turkeys, and sera from these turkeys passively cross- protected naive poults. An antigen of approximately 39 kDa molecular size was purified by preparative SDS-PAGE and electroelution from hydroxyapatite chromatographic fractions of both in vivo- and in vitro-grown P. multocida. The purified antigen from either source induced active immune cross-protection, but no passive protection in one of two experiments. Increasing the dose of vaccine resulted in both active and passive immune cross-protection in the second experiment.