title: Vaccination of goats with DNA vaccines encoding H11 and IL-2 induces partial protection against Haemonchus contortus infection.
abstract: DNA vaccines expressing Haemonchus contortus H11 antigen with or without interleukin (IL)-2 were tested for protection against H. contortus infection in goats. Sixteen goats (8-10 months of age) were allocated into four trial groups. On days 0 and 14, group 1 was immunised with a DNA vaccine expressing H11 and IL-2 and group 2 was immunised with a DNA vaccine expressing H11 only. Group 3 was an unvaccinated positive control group challenged with H. contortus third stage larvae (L3). Group 4 was an unvaccinated negative control group that was not challenged with L3. Animals in groups 1-3 were challenged with 5000 infective H. contortus L3 14 days after the second immunisation. Transcription of H11 and IL-2 was demonstrated in muscle by reverse transcriptase-PCR 10 days after primary immunisation and translation of H11 was detected by Western blot analysis 7 days after the second immunisation. Following immunisation with a DNA vaccine expressing H11 and IL-2, high levels of specific serum immunoglobulin (Ig) G, non-specific serum IgA, mucosal IgA, CD4(+) T lymphocytes, CD8(+) T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes were produced. Following challenge with L3, cumulative mean faecal worm egg counts and worm burdens in group 1 were reduced by 56.6% and 46.7%, respectively, while corresponding reductions in group 2 were 44.8% and 38.0%. There was a small but significant difference in abomasal worm burdens in goats in groups 1 (395.3±37.6) and 2 (459.5±101.6) compared to group 3 (741.5±241.5; P<0.05). Use of a DNA vaccine expressing H11 and IL-2 conferred partial protection against Haemonchus contortus infection in goats.
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, PR China.
authors.forename: GuangWei
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: RuoFeng
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Charles I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Muleke
authors.forename: YanMing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: LiXin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: XiangRui
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000909:Antibodies, Helminth / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D015511:Goat Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006041:Goats; D006188:Haemonchiasis / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D006189:Haemonchus / Q000276:immunology*; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014611:Vaccination / Q000662:veterinary; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000909:Antibodies, Helminth; D007376:Interleukin-2; D019444:Vaccines, DNA