Recombinant Botulinum Toxoids: A Practical Guide for Production.

Clostridium botulinum is a Gram-positive, spore-forming, anaerobic bacillus that produces a potent neurotoxin. Botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are classified from serotypes A to H, and even though they have similar mechanisms of action, they show preferential hosts. In veterinary medicine, BoNT serotypes C and D are the most important, once several animal species are susceptible to them. Since BoNTs are the most potent toxins known in nature, the best way to control botulism in animals is through vaccination. However, current commercial vaccines are based on inactivated toxins (toxoids) and cells (bacterins) and present many drawbacks, such as a time-consuming production with variable antigen yield and biosafety risks. Recombinant vaccines, especially those produced by Escherichia coli expression system, have proved to be an interesting alternative to overcome these problems. E. coli is a very well-known microorganism that allows the production of large amounts of nontoxic recombinant antigens in a short period using simple culture medium reducing the production complexity and decreasing most of the biosafety risks involved in the process. We describe herein a method for the production of recombinant vaccines for veterinary medicine application, involving initial steps of gene design up to vaccine formulation and evaluation itself.

Production and evaluation of a recombinant chimeric vaccine against clostridium botulinum neurotoxin types C and D.

Bovine botulism is a fatal disease that is caused by botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) produced by Clostridium botulinum serotypes C and D and that causes great economic losses, with nearly 100% lethality during outbreaks. It has also been considered a potential source of human food-borne illness in many countries. Vaccination has been reported to be the most effective way to control bovine botulism. However, the commercially available toxoid-based vaccines are difficult and hazardous to produce. Neutralizing antibodies targeted against the C-terminal fragment of the BoNT heavy chain (HC) are known to confer efficient protection against lethal doses of BoNTs. In this study, a novel recombinant chimera, consisting of Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin B subunit (LTB), a strong adjuvant of the humoral immune response, fused to the HC of BoNT serotypes C and D, was produced in E. coli. Mice vaccinated with the chimera containing LTB and an equivalent molar ratio of the chimera without LTB plus aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)3) developed 2 IU/mL of antitoxins for both serotypes. Guinea pigs immunized with the recombinant chimera with LTB plus Al(OH)3 developed a protective immune response against both BoNT/C (5 IU/mL) and BoNT/D (10 IU/mL), as determined by a mouse neutralization bioassay with pooled sera. The results achieved with guinea pig sera fulfilled the requirements of commercial vaccines for prevention of botulism, as determined by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food, Supply. The presence of LTB was essential for the development of a strong humoral immune response, as it acted in synergism with Al(OH)3. Thus, the vaccine described in this study is a strong candidate for the control of botulism in cattle.