title: Oral immunisation of pigs with fimbrial antigens of enterotoxigenic E. coli: an interesting model to study mucosal immune mechanisms.
abstract: The intestinal mucosal immune system can discriminate actively between harmful pathogenic agents and harmless food antigens resulting in different immune responses namely IgA production and oral tolerance, respectively. Recently, a pig model has been developed for studying intestinal mucosal immune responses in which F4 fimbrial antigens of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (F4 ETEC) are used as oral antigens. A unique feature of this model is that soluble F4 antigens can be administered to pigs which have a receptor for this fimbriae (F4R(+)) on their small intestinal villous enterocytes and pigs which do not have this receptor (F4R(-)). Oral administration of F4 to the F4R(+) pigs results in an intestinal mucosal immune response that completely protects the pigs against a challenge infection. In F4R(-) pigs such an intestinal mucosal immune response does not occur. However, a priming of the systemic immune system can be seen similar to the priming in pigs fed with the same dose of a food antigen, suggesting that F4 in F4R(-) pigs behaves as a food antigen. The fact that different mucosal immune responses can be induced with soluble F4, makes it an interesting model to study mucosal immune mechanisms in the pig.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium. eric.cox@rug.ac.be
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Yves
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Van der Stede
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Verdonck
authors.forename: Veerle
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Snoeck
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Van den Broeck
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Goddeeris
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000276:immunology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000276:immunology*; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal; D007114:Immunization; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000276:immunology*; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins; C026888:K88 antigen, E coli; D036781:Fimbriae Proteins