Gamma-Irradiated Fowl Cholera Mucosal Vaccine: Potential Vaccine Candidate for Safe and Effective Immunization of Chicken Against Fowl Cholera.

Fowl cholera (FC) caused by Pasteurella multocida is among the serious infectious diseases of poultry. Currently, formalin inactivated FC (FI-FC) vaccine is widely used in Ethiopia. However, reports of the disease complaint remain higher despite the use of the vaccine. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate gamma-irradiated mucosal FC vaccines that can be used nationally. In a vaccination-challenge experiment, the performance of gamma-irradiated P. multocida (at 1 kGy) formulated with Montanide gel/01 PR adjuvant was evaluated at different dose rates (0.5 and 0.3 ml) and routes (intranasal, intraocular, and oral), in comparison with FI-FC vaccine in chicken. Chickens received three doses of the candidate vaccine at 3-week intervals. Sera, and trachea and crop lavage were collected to assess the antibody levels using indirect and sandwich ELISAs, respectively. Challenge exposure was conducted by inoculation at 3.5×109 CFU/ml of P. multocida biotype A intranasally 2 weeks after the last immunization. Repeated measures ANOVA test and Kaplan Meier curve analysis were used to examine for statistical significance of antibody titers and survival analysis, respectively. Sera IgG and secretory IgA titers were significantly raised after second immunization (p=0.0001). Chicken survival analysis showed that intranasal and intraocular administration of the candidate vaccine at the dose of 0.3 ml resulted in 100% protection as compared to intramuscular injection of FI-FC vaccine, which conferred 85% protection (p=0.002). In conclusion, the results of this study showed that gamma-irradiated FC mucosal vaccine is safe and protective, indicating its potential use for immunization of chicken against FC.

Efficacy of a subcutaneously administered, ultraviolet light-killed Pasteurella multocida A:3-containing bacterin against transthoracic challenge exposure in goats.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of Pasteurella multocida biovar A, serovar 3 (Pm A:3) killed by exposure to UV light and incorporated with a polyacrylate bead carrier as a vaccine. ANIMALS: 18 weanling male Spanish goats. PROCEDURE: Prospective, randomized controlled study with 3 treatment groups: positive-control (PC), negative-control (NC), and principal Pm A:3 bacterin (PA) groups. Six PC goats each received live Pm A:3 and polyacrylate beads twice, 22 days apart, by transthoracic injection into the left lung. Six NC goats each received only PA beads twice, 22 days apart, by transthoracic injection. Six principal goats each received Pm A:3 vaccine SC twice, 22 days apart. Fourteen days after the second vaccination, all goats were challenge exposed with live Pm A:3 by transthoracic injection into the right lung, and 4 days later they were euthanatized and necropsied. RESULTS: Mean volume of consolidated lung tissue at the challenge site was 1.75 cm3 for the PC group, 15.18 cm3 for the NC group, and 3.9 cm3 for the PA vaccine group. The NC group had a significantly (P < or = 0.002) larger mean volume of consolidated lung tissue than did the PC and PA groups after challenge exposure. CONCLUSIONS: The PA bacterin and the PC groups developed protective immunity against live Pm A:3 challenge exposure. An SC administered, UV light-killed, Pm A:3 bacterin induced protective immunity similar to that induced by virulent live Pm A:3 injected into the target organ, the lung.