title: Protection against tuberculosis in Eurasian wild boar vaccinated with heat-inactivated Mycobacterium bovis.
abstract: Tuberculosis (TB) caused by Mycobacterium bovis and closely related members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex continues to affect humans and animals worldwide and its control requires vaccination of wildlife reservoir species such as Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa). Vaccination efforts for TB control in wildlife have been based primarily on oral live BCG formulations. However, this is the first report of the use of oral inactivated vaccines for controlling TB in wildlife. In this study, four groups of 5 wild boar each were vaccinated with inactivated M. bovis by the oral and intramuscular routes, vaccinated with oral BCG or left unvaccinated as controls. All groups were later challenged with a field strain of M. bovis. The results of the IFN-gamma response, serum antibody levels, M. bovis culture, TB lesion scores, and the expression of C3 and MUT genes were compared between these four groups. The results suggested that vaccination with heat-inactivated M. bovis or BCG protect wild boar from TB. These results also encouraged testing combinations of BCG and inactivated M. bovis to vaccinate wild boar against TB. Vaccine formulations using heat-inactivated M. bovis for TB control in wildlife would have the advantage of being environmentally safe and more stable under field conditions when compared to live BCG vaccines. The antibody response and MUT expression levels can help differentiating between vaccinated and infected wild boar and as correlates of protective response in vaccinated animals. These results suggest that vaccine studies in free-living wild boar are now possible to reveal the full potential of protecting against TB using oral M. bovis inactivated and BCG vaccines.
authors.affiliation: NEIKER-Tecnalia, Animal Health Department, Derio, Bizkaia, Spain.
authors.forename: Joseba M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Garrido
authors.forename: Iker A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Sevilla
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Beltrán-Beck
authors.forename: Esmeralda
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Minguijón
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ballesteros
authors.forename: Ruth C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Galindo
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boadella
authors.forename: Konstantin P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Lyashchenko
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.forename: Maria Victoria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Geijo
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ruiz-Fons
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aranaz
authors.forename: Ramón A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Juste
authors.forename: Joaquín
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vicente
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de la Fuente
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gortázar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D006358:Hot Temperature; D009163:Mycobacterium bovis / Q000276:immunology*; D034421:Sus scrofa; D014380:Tuberculosis, Bovine / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014611:Vaccination; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated