Antibody responses to Bordetella bronchiseptica in vaccinated and infected dogs

Bordetella bronchiseptica (Bb) whole cell bacterins have been replaced with acelluar vaccines. We evaluated the response to the acellular Bb vaccines in Bb-seropositive commingled laboratory beagles and client-owned dogs with various lifestyles and vaccination histories. A single parenteral dose of the acellular Bb vaccine resulted in consistent anamnestic IgG, and to a lesser, but notable extent, IgA, Bb-reactive antibody responses in the seropositive beagles. Associated with the increase in antibodies measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was an increase in the complement (C)-dependent IgG antibody mediated bactericidal effect on Bb in vitro. Antibody responses in client-owned dogs were more variable and were dependent upon the vaccination history and serological evidence of previous Bb exposure. Antibodies from vaccinated dogs recognized several Bb proteins, notably P68 (pertactin) and P220 (fimbrial hemagglutinin), the response to which has been shown to be disease-sparing in Bp infections. These antibody responses were similar to those in experimentally infected dogs and in dogs that had received a widely used whole cell bacterin.