Potential of a recombinant antigen as a prophylactic vaccine for day-old broiler chickens against Eimeria acervulina and Eimeria tenella infections.
A genetically engineered Eimeria tenella antigen (GX3262), produced as a fusion protein with beta-galactosidase and identified with a monoclonal antibody, induced partial but significant protection in young broiler chickens against experimental E. tenella and Eimeria acervulina infections. The antigen appears to share a T-helper cell epitope with the parasite as evidenced by (a) booster inoculation with either the recombinant antigen or with a small number of live oocysts enhanced the protective immunity in GX3262 primed chickens, and (b) ability of the antigen to induce in vitro stimulation of T-cells from chickens immunized with antigen or parasite. These observations suggest the feasibility of a single vaccination of 1 or 2-day-old broilers with GX3262 to induce an acceptable degree of protective immunity. The implications of the observations reported here are far reaching in terms of a practical coccidiosis vaccine for poultry, and show for the first time that 1-day-old broiler chickens can be efficiently vaccinated with a recombinant antigen against one or more species of Eimeria.
Bhogal
B S
BS
Department of Molecular Biology, A.H. Robins Research Laboratories, Richmond, VA 23220.
Miller
G A
GA
Anderson
A C
AC
Jessee
E J
EJ
Strausberg
S
S
McCandliss
R
R
Nagle
J
J
Strausberg
R L
RL
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000953:Antigens, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002645:Chickens; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary*; D004539:Eimeria / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016786:Eimeria tenella / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D007109:Immunity; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D014611:Vaccination; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000276:immunology*
D000953:Antigens, Protozoan; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic