title: Adjuvant effects of interleukin-18 in DNA vaccination against infectious bursal disease virus in chickens.
abstract: Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is an important cytokine with multiple functions in innate and acquired immunity. In this study, chicken IL-18 was evaluated for its adjuvant effects on the protective immunity of a DNA vaccine carrying the VP243 gene of IBDV. Groups of 14-day-old SPF chickens were given twice at 2-week intervals with 100 μg of the plasmid DNA vaccine pCAGVP243, pCAGVP243-IL-18 and the blank vector pCAGGS, respectively, and challenged with vvIBDV (HLJ0504 strain) 2 weeks later. Chickens immunized with plasmid pCAGVP243-IL-18 carrying both VP243 and IL-18 genes induced significantly higher levels of antibodies, lymphocyte proliferation responses and of the cytokines IL-4 and IFN-γ than those injected with pCAGVP243 encoding the VP243 gene alone. Furthermore, pCAGVP243-IL-18 provided higher protection (93%) against vvIBDV challenge in chickens than pCAGVP243 (60%), as evidenced by the absence of clinical signs, mortality, and bursal atrophy. These results indicated that the cytokine IL-18 could enhance the immune responses and protection efficacy of DNA vaccine against IBDV infection in chickens, highlighting the potential value of chicken IL-18 as an adjuvant in the prevention of vvIBDV infection.
authors: Division of Avian Infectious Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 427 Maduan Street, Harbin 150001, PR China.
authors: Kai
authors: K
authors: Li
authors: Honglei
authors: H
authors: Gao
authors: Li
authors: L
authors: Gao
authors: Xiaole
authors: X
authors: Qi
authors: Yulong
authors: Y
authors: Gao
authors: Liting
authors: L
authors: Qin
authors: Yongqiang
authors: Y
authors: Wang
authors: Xiaomei
authors: X
authors: Wang
mesh_terms: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D018175:Birnaviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D002645:Chickens; D007243:Infectious bursal disease virus / Q000276:immunology; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D020382:Interleukin-18; D019444:Vaccines, DNA; D014765:Viral Vaccines