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Duck immune responses to Riemerella anatipestifer vaccines
D A Higgins1, R R Henry, Z V Kounev
1Department of Pathology, The University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong. dhiggins@hku.hk
Developmental and Comparative Immunology
|March 16, 2000
Summary
Riemerella anatipestifer (Ra) vaccines induce a short-lived cell-mediated immunity (CMI) response in ducks, explaining transient protection. Antibody (Ab) responses are longer-lasting than CMI, regardless of vaccine type.
Area of Science:
- Veterinary Immunology
- Pathogen-Host Interactions
- Vaccine Development
Background:
- Riemerella anatipestifer (Ra) causes significant economic losses in farmed ducks globally.
- Understanding immune responses to Ra infection and vaccination is crucial for disease control.
- Current knowledge on cell-mediated immunity (CMI) and antibody (Ab) production following Ra vaccination is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate and compare the cell-mediated immunity (CMI) and antibody (Ab) responses induced by formalin-inactivated and live attenuated Riemerella anatipestifer (Ra) vaccines in ducks.
- To correlate vaccine-induced immune responses with the duration of protection against Ra infection.
- To assess the diagnostic relevance of CMI and Ab detection in Ra-infected ducks.
Main Methods:
- Lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) was employed to measure CMI response.
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to monitor Ab production.
- Ducks were vaccinated with formalin-inactivated (bacterin) or live attenuated Ra serotype 2 vaccines.
- Immune responses were assessed at various time points post-vaccination.
Main Results:
- Formalin-inactivated Ra vaccine induced a strong but transient LTT response (approx. 4 weeks), with some cross-reactivity to other Ra serotypes.
- Revaccination with bacterin showed slightly enhanced responses with a similar time course.
- Antibody (Ab) responses to both vaccine types were longer-lasting than LTT responses.
- Live attenuated Ra vaccine elicited weaker but more sustained LTT responses compared to bacterin.
- Detectable Ab levels were observed even when CMI was not detectable by LTT.
Conclusions:
- The transient protection observed with Ra bacterins is attributed to the short duration of the CMI response.
- Ducks can exhibit detectable serum Ab levels at times when CMI is not measurable via LTT.
- These findings are significant for understanding Ra immunopathogenesis, immunoprophylaxis, and immunodiagnosis.
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