Mannheimia haemolytica increases Mycoplasma bovis disease in a bovine experimental model of BRD.

Amongst the bacterial pathogens associated with the bovine respiratory disease syndrome (BRD) in cattle are Mannheimia haemolytica and Mycoplasma bovis. The interaction between these two pathogens has not been investigated before; thus, there are gaps in the knowledge of why and how a previous infection with M. haemolytica allows the development of M. bovis-related lesions. We hypothesized that upon M. haemolytica infection, inflammatory products are produced in the lung and that these inflammatory products stimulate M. bovis to produce proteases and lipases that degrade lipids and proteins important for lung function. In this work, we identified several M. bovis proteases and lipases whose expression was modulated by M. haemolytica products in vitro. We performed co-infection animal challenges to develop a model to test vaccine protection. A prior exposure to BHV-1 followed by infection with M. bovis and M. haemolytica resulted in severe pathology and the BHV-1 infection was abandoned. When M. bovis and M. haemolytica were introduced into the lungs by bronchoscopy, we found that M. haemolytica resulted in worsening of the respiratory disease caused by M. bovis. We performed a proof-of-concept trial where animals were immunized with the M. bovis proteins identified in this study and challenged with both pathogens. Despite detecting significant humoral immune responses to the antigens, the experimental vaccine failed to protect against M. bovis disease.

Complement-mediated killing of Mycoplasma bovis does not play a role in the protection of animals against an experimental challenge.

Despite numerous efforts, developing recombinant vaccines for the control of M. bovis infections has not been successful. Many factors are contributing to the lack of success including the identification of protective antigens, use of effective adjuvants, and relatively limited information on the quality of immune responses needed for protection. Experimental trials using vaccination with many M. bovis proteins resulted in significant humoral immune responses before and after the challenges, however these responses were not enough to confer protection. We explored the role of complement-fixing antibodies in the killing of M. bovis in-vitro and whether animals vaccinated with proteins that elicit antibodies capable of complement-fixing would be protected against an experimental challenge. We found that antibodies against some of these proteins fixed complement and killed M. bovis in-vitro. Vaccination and challenge experiments with proteins whose cognate antibodies either fixed complement or not resulted in lack of protection against a M. bovis experimental challenge suggesting that complement fixation does not play a role in protection.

A core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) analysis of Mycoplasma bovis isolates.

Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) is an emerging major bovine pathogen, causing economic losses worldwide in the dairy and beef industry. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) now allows high resolution for tracing clonal populations. Based on WGS, we developed the core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST) scheme and applied it onto 151 genomes of clonal and non-clonal strains of M. bovis isolated from China, Australia, Israel, Denmark, Canada, and the USA. We used the complete genome of M. bovis PG45 as the reference genome. The pairwise genome comparison of these 151 genome sequences resulted in 478 cgMLST gene targets present in > 99.0 % clonal and non-clonal isolates with 100 % overlap and > 90 % sequence similarity. A total of 478 core genes were retained as cgMLST target genes of which an average of 90.4-99 % were present in 151 M. bovis genomes, while M. agalactiae (PG2) had 17.0 % and M. mycoides subsp. capri (PG3), M. ovipneumoniae (Y98), and M. arginine resulted in 0.0 % of good targets. When tested against the clonal and non-clonal strains, we found cgMLST clusters were congruent with the MLST-defined clonal groups, which had various degrees of diversity at the whole-genome level. Notably, cgMLST could distinguish between clonal and epidemiologically unrelated strains of the same clonal group, which could not be achieved using traditional MLST schemes. Our results showed that ninety-two M. bovis genomes from clonal group isolates had > 10 allele differences and unambiguously differentiated from unrelated outgroup strains. Additionally, cgMLST revealed that there might be several sub-clones of the emerging ST-52 clone. The cgMLST phylogenetic analysis results showed substantial agreement with geographical and temporal information. cgMLST enables the use of next-generation sequencing technology to bovine mycoplasma epidemiology at both the local and global levels. In conclusion, the novel cgMLST scheme not only showed discrimination resolution highly as compared with MLST and SNP cgMLST in sub-typing but also indicated the capability to reveal more population structure characteristics than MLST.

Comparative genomic analysis of Canadian Mycoplasma bovis strains isolated from Bison and Cattle.

Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) in cattle causes pneumonia, arthritis, otitis media, and mastitis. In addition, multiple outbreaks have been recorded in North American bison. The genomic data on Canadian M. bovis in bison and cattle to date is limited. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) was used to assess the degree of genome conservation across four Canadian M. bovis strains recovered from bison and cattle. Whole-genome sequences of four M. bovis isolates (Mb1, Mb160, Mb300, Mb304) and the PG45 reference genome were utilized to identify the M. bovis genomic similarity, whole-genome single nucleotide polymorphism (WGS-SNP), virulence determinants, and genomic islands. The pan-genome analysis showed that M. bovis encodes a minimum of 971 genes, while the core genome contained 637 genes. Comparative genomics revealed limited diversity in gene content between bison and cattle isolates. Whole-genome SNP analysis showed that the four M. bovis isolates differed from each other and to PG45. A total of 40 putative virulence genes associated with adhesion, colonization, and destruction of tissues were found in the bison and cattle isolates using the virulence factors database (VFDB). These putative virulence factors were equally distributed among isolates. Genomic Islands (GIs) ranging from 4 to 9 and associated with transposases, restriction-modification, ribosomal hypothetical proteins, variable surface lipoproteins, and unknowns were also identified. Overall, the genomic characterization of these isolates may provide new insights into the mechanisms of pathogenicity in M. bovis.

Effect of maternal separation and transportation stress on the bovine upper respiratory tract microbiome and the immune response to resident opportunistic pathogens.

BACKGROUND: The bovine upper respiratory tract (URT) microbiome includes opportunistic pathogens that cause respiratory disease and stress associated with maternal separation and transportation contributes to the severity of this respiratory disease. Stress is known to alter the gut microbiome but little is known regarding the effect of stress on the URT microbiota. This study used six-month old suckling beef calves to investigate whether maternal separation (weaned), by itself or combined with transportation (weaned + transport), altered the URT microbiome and host immune responses to resident opportunistic pathogens. RESULTS: Taxonomic and functional composition of the URT microbiome in suckling and weaned beef calves did not change significantly when serially sampled over a one-month period. Subtle temporal changes in the URT microbiome composition were observed in weaned + transport calves. Total bacterial density was lower (p < 0.05) on day 4 post-weaning in both the weaned and weaned + transport groups when compared to suckling calves. In addition, significant (p < 0.05) temporal changes in the density of the opportunistic pathogens, M. haemolytica and P. multocida, were observed independent of treatment but these changes did not correlate with significantly increased (p < 0.05) serum antibody responses to both of these bacteria in the weaned and weaned + transport groups. Serum antibody responses to My. bovis, another opportunistic pathogen, remained unchanged in all treatment groups. Weaning, by itself and in combination with transportation, also had significant (p < 0.05) short- (2 to 8 days post-weaning) and long-term (28 days post-weaning) effects on the expression of adrenergic receptor genes in blood leukocytes when compared to age-matched suckling beef calves. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal separation (weaning) and transportation has minor effects on the taxonomic and functional composition of the URT microbiome and temporal changes in the density of opportunistic pathogen residing in the URT did not correlate with significant changes in immune responses to these bacteria. Significant changes in adrenergic receptor expression in blood leukocytes following weaning, with or without transportation, suggests altered neuroimmune regulation should be further investigated as a mechanism by which stress can alter host-microbiome interactions for some opportunistic respiratory pathogens that reside in the URT.

Effects of inflammatory stimuli on responses of macrophages to Mycoplasma bovis infection.

Inflammation in the respiratory tract is thought to worsen the disease response to Mycoplasma bovis infection. This study investigated the cells involved in this response with a focus on proteases and cytokines as harmful effector mechanisms. By immunohistochemistry, Mac387-positive macrophages were the main cell type comprising the foci of caseous necrosis in cattle with M. bovis pneumonia. Thus, the study evaluated how priming of different types of macrophages with bacterial lysate (or pro-inflammatory cytokines induced by the bacterial lysate) affected their responses to M. bovis infection. Inducible responses were detected in monocyte-derived macrophages (M1-MDMs and M2-MDMs), whereas pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAMs) were minimally affected by priming or infection. M. bovis-infected MDMs secreted MMP-12 and SPLA2, and priming with pro-inflammatory cytokines increased the secretion of cathepsin B in response to M. bovis infection. Of these, there were higher concentrations of cathepsin B and SPLA2 in lungs with M. bovis pneumonia compared to healthy lungs, and these are potential mechanisms for macrophage-induced lung damage in M. bovis infection. Priming of MDMs with either bacterial lysate or with pro-inflammatory cytokines caused an enhanced response to M. bovis infection with respect to IL-8 and IL-1ß secretion. The findings of this study suggest proteases, lipases and cytokines derived from monocyte-derived macrophages as possible mediators by which prior inflammation in the respiratory tract worsen disease outcomes from M. bovis infection.

Phylogeny of Mycoplasma bovis isolates from cattle and bison based on multi locus sequence typing and multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeats.

Multiple outbreaks of Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) have been reported in North American bison (Bison bison) in Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nebraska, New Mexico, Montana, North Dakota, and Kansas. M. bovis is mainly spread through direct contact and disseminated via animal movements thus, reliable genotyping is crucial for epidemiological investigations. The present study describes the genotyping of sixty-one M. bovis strains from cattle and bison isolated from different provinces of Canada by multi locus sequence typing (MLST), and multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA). The sixty M. bovis clinical isolates together with the reference strain PG45 were divided into ten sequence types by MLST. Three novel sequence types were identified. Two isolates, one from cattle and one from bison shared the same sequence type, whereas one strain had the same sequence type as PG45. The cattle isolates could be further subdivided in Clade A with two subclades and bison isolates were grouped in Clade B with two subclades. With the exception of one animal, isolates originating from the same animal had the same sequence type. The sixty-one isolates also formed three main clades with several subclades when analyzed by MLVA. A total of 20 VNTR (Variable number tandem repeats) types were distinguished, 8 in cattle and 12 in bison isolates. The results showed multiple sequence types and genotype populations of M. bovis in bison and cattle. The results may further help to understand the evolution of M. bovis and develop strain specific or sequence type diagnostic tools.

Complete Genome Sequences of Four Canadian Mycoplasma bovis Strains Isolated from Bison and Cattle.

Mycoplasma bovis is a major bacterial pathogen that causes respiratory diseases in cattle and bison. We report here the complete genome sequences of four Mycoplasma bovis strains isolated in three Canadian provinces. These genome sequences could provide important information on virulence factors and targets for new vaccines against M. bovis.

Baseline analysis of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides antigens as targets for a DIVA assay for use with a subunit vaccine for contagious bovine pleuropneumonia.

BACKGROUND: Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides (Mmm) is the causative agent of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia in cattle. A prototype subunit vaccine is being developed, however, there is currently no diagnostic test that can differentiate between infected cattle and those vaccinated with the prototype subunit vaccine. This study characterized Mmm proteins to identify potential antigens for use in differentiating infected from vaccinated animals. RESULTS: Ten Mmm antigens expressed as recombinant proteins were tested in an indirect ELISA using experimental sera from control groups, infected, and vaccinated animals. Data were imported into R software for analysis and drawing of the box and scatter plots while Cohen's Kappa assessed the level of agreement between the Mmm antigens. Two vaccine antigens (MSC_0499 and MSC_0776) were superior in detecting antibodies in sera of animals vaccinated with the subunit vaccines while two non-vaccine antigens (MSC_0636 and LppB) detected antibodies in sera of infected animals showing all clinical stages of the disease. Sensitivity and specificity of above 87.5% were achieved when the MSC_0499 and MSC_0636 antigens were tested on sera from vaccinated and infected animals. CONCLUSIONS: The MSC_0499 and MSC_0776 antigens were the most promising for detecting vaccinated animals, while MSC_0636 and LppB were the best targets to identify infected animals. Further testing of sera from vaccinated and infected animals collected at different time intervals in the field should help establish how useful a diagnostic test based on a cocktail of these proteins would be.

Complete Genome Sequences of 16 Mycoplasma bovis Isolates from Canadian Bison and Cattle.

Here, we report the complete genome sequences of 12 Mycoplasma bovis isolates cultured from Canadian bison and 4 cultured from Canadian cattle. The sequences are of value for understanding the phylogenetic relationship between cattle and bison isolates and will aid in elucidating the genetic basis for virulence and host specificity.

Pathogenesis and Virulence of Mycoplasma bovis.

Mycoplasma bovis is an important component of the bovine respiratory disease complex and recent reports identified that other species are also affected by M bovis. Control of the disease caused by M bovis has been unsuccessful owing to many factors, including the capacity of M bovis to evade and modulate the immune system of the host; the lack of known virulence factors; the absence of a cell wall, which renders antibiotics targeting cell-wall synthesis unusable; and the failure of vaccines to control disease on the field. The current knowledge on virulence and pathogenesis is presented in this review.

Mycoplasma bovis delay in apoptosis of macrophages is accompanied by increased expression of anti-apoptotic genes, reduced cytochrome C translocation and inhibition of DNA fragmentation.

Bacterial pathogens have evolved to manipulate host cell death and survival pathways for their intracellular persistence. Understanding the ability of a bacterium to induce or inhibit cell death is essential for elucidating the disease pathogenesis and suggesting potential therapeutic options to manage the infection. In recent years, apoptosis inhibition by different bacteria has been suggested as a mechanism of survival by allowing the pathogen to replicate and disseminate in the host. Mycoplasma bovis has evolved mechanisms to invade and modulate apoptosis of bovine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), red blood cells (RBCs), primary macrophages and monocytes. To date, these mechanisms are poorly understood. Using apoptosis assays such as Annexin V binding, caspases activity, reactive oxygen species production, DNA fragmentation and differential gene expression we set out to determine how M. bovis modulates macrophage survival. Using the BoMac cell line, we report a significant reduction in STS-induced apoptosis through caspase dependent manner. Besides activating the NF-kß pathway and inhibiting caspases 3, 6 and 9, M. bovis strain Mb1 also inhibits production of reactive oxygen species and DNA fragmentation of the host cell. We also report a significant up-regulation of the anti-apoptotic genes Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL upon infection. Our results indicate that M. bovis strain Mb1 inhibits the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis and up-regulate survival genes in BoMac cells.

The Performance of Three Immune Assays to Assess the Serological Status of Cattle Experimentally Exposed to Mycoplasma bovis.

Mycoplasma bovis is associated with several clinical syndromes of cattle. Currently, limited information is available on the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of serological assays used for the detection of M. bovis-specific antibodies. Consequently, it is difficult to critically evaluate the outcomes of studies that use these assays. Therefore, the current study used bovine sera sourced from M. bovis exposure studies from three countries to estimate the Se and Sp of two commercial M. bovis enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), BIO K302 and BIO K260, and Western blotting. Western blotting had the highest Se estimate of 74% (95% confidence interval (CI): 16-98%), compared to the BIO K302: 47% (95% CI: 10-87%) and BIO K260: 28% (95% CI: 1-92%). However, for Sp, the BIO K302: 96% (95% CI: 87-99%) and the BIO K260: 100% (95% CI: 93-100%) out-performed Western blotting: 88% (95% CI: 56-98%). Western blotting was the best assay for detecting seroconversion, correctly identifying 61% (95% CI: 29-86%) of exposed animals compared to 35% for BIO K302 (95% CI: 21-54%) and 8% for BIO K260 (95% CI: 0-87%). While none of the methods assessed had high Se and Sp, the availability of these estimates will aid in the interpretation of studies that use these assays. The results of this study highlight the difficulties encountered when using serology to detect exposure to M. bovis in cattle.

Th-17 cell mediated immune responses to Mycoplasma bovis proteins formulated with Montanide ISA61 VG and curdlan are not sufficient for protection against an experimental challenge with Mycoplasma bovis.

The current avenues for prevention and/or control of Mycoplasma bovis infection in cattle involve antibiotic treatment of affected animals, herd management practices including separation and or culling infected animals, and the use of commercial vaccines, which offer limited protection. Some bacterin vaccines may cause negative reactions; therefore a different approach is needed, such as the use of recombinant vaccines based on protective antigens formulated with effective adjuvants. The role of Th-17 immune responses in protection against bacterial infections has been investigated for several pathogens. In this study, our goal was to identify M. bovis antigens that may elicit Th-17 protective responses. We tested a vaccine containing M. bovis proteins formulated with Montanide ISA61™ VG and curdlan. After vaccination, the animals were challenged using a BHV-1/M. bovis co-infection model. We detected IL-17 and other cytokines in supernatants of PBMCs incubated with the recall antigens. In addition, we detected antibody and PBMC proliferative responses to the antigens. Despite observing slight decreases in the proportion of the lung lesions and in weight loss in the vaccinated group, we concluded that Th-17 responses to the antigens used here were not protective.

Mycoplasma bovis-Induced Inhibition of Bovine Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Proliferation Is Ameliorated after Blocking the Immune-Inhibitory Programmed Death 1 Receptor.

Mycoplasma bovis-induced immune suppression is a major obstacle faced by the host for controlling infections. M. bovis impairment of antigen-specific T-cell responses is achieved through inhibiting the proliferation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). This impairment may contribute to the persistence of M. bovis infection in various sites, including lungs, and its systemic spread to various organs such as joints, with the underlying mechanisms remaining elusive. Here, we elucidated the role of the immune-inhibitory receptor programmed death 1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1) in M. bovis infection. Flow cytometry (FCM) analyses revealed an upregulation of PD-L1 expression on tracheal and lung epithelial cell lines after M. bovis infection. In addition, we found increased PD-L1 expression on purified lung lavage macrophages following M. bovis infection by FCM and determined its localization by immunofluorescence analysis comparing infected and control lung tissue sections. Moreover, M. bovis infection increased the expression of the PD-1 receptor on total PBMCs and in gated CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell subpopulations. We demonstrated that M. bovis infection induced a significant decrease in CD4+ PD-1INT and CD8+ PD-1INT subsets with intermediate PD-1 expression, which functioned as progenitor pools giving rise to CD4+ PD-1HIGH and CD8+ PD-1HIGH subsets with high PD-1 expression levels. We blocked PD-1 receptors on PBMCs using anti-PD-1 antibody at the beginning of infection, leading to a significant restoration of the proliferation of PBMCs. Taken together, our data indicate a significant involvement of the PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitory pathway during M. bovis infection and its associated immune exhaustion, culminating in impaired host immune responses.

Induction of a balanced IgG1/IgG2 immune response to an experimental challenge with Mycoplasma bovis antigens following a vaccine composed of Emulsigen™, IDR peptide1002, and poly I:C.

Prevention and or control of Mycoplasma bovis infections in cattle have relied on the treatment of animals with antibiotics; herd management including separation and or culling infected animals; and the use of vaccines with limited protection. Due to the negative reactions and incomplete protection observed after vaccination with some bacterin-based vaccines, there is a need to put more efforts in the development of recombinant-based vaccines. However, the arsenal of antigens that may be suitable for a fully protective vaccine is rather limited at this point. We have tested a vaccine formulation containing M. bovis proteins formulated with adjuvants that have been shown to aid in the protection against other pathogens. After vaccinations, the animals were challenged using a BHV-1/M. bovis co-infection model. While the PBMC proliferation and cytokine responses to the antigens in the vaccine were negligible, humoral responses reveal that eight antigens elicit a balanced IgG1/IgG2 response although this was not enough to confer protection against M. bovis.

Effect of Mycoplasma bovis on bovine neutrophils.

Mycoplasma bovis (M. bovis) is a small bacterium that lacks a cell wall. M. bovis infection results in chronic pneumonia and polyarthritis syndrome (CPPS), otitis media, conjunctivitis, and meningitis in feedlot cattle and mastitis in dairy cattle. Numerous studies of peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMC) indicate that M. bovis evades host immunity through targeted effects on immune cell activity, including inhibition of effector function and simultaneous aberrant activation of immune cell activity that has no effect on protection against the bacterium. Few studies have addressed the interaction between M. bovis and neutrophils, one of the most important cell subsets of innate immunity. We hypothesized that M. bovis modifies specific neutrophil activities to support its persistence and systemic dissemination. In this study, we demonstrate that M. bovis enhances neutrophil apoptosis, stimulates production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-12 and TNF-α, inhibits production of nitric oxide (NO) but augments elastase release. We also show that IL-17 an inflammatory cytokine produced by Th-17 cells does not enhance the capacity of neutrophils to destroy M. bovis. These findings present novel mechanisms of mycoplasma evasion of host innate immunity and provide potential opportunities for immuno-therapeutic interventions.

A serologic survey of Mycoplasma spp. in farmed bison ( Bison bison) herds in western Canada.

Mycoplasma bovis is emerging as an important pathogen of farmed bison in North America and is associated with high morbidity and mortality in affected herds. We developed an in-house ELISA to detect antibodies against Mycoplasma spp. in bison sera. The aims of the study were to estimate the seroprevalence against Mycoplasma spp. in bison herds with or without past history of M. bovis-associated disease, and to determine potential risk factors for seropositivity to Mycoplasma spp. in farmed bison in western Canada. A total of 858 serum samples were collected from bison >1 y of age from 19 bison herds. The individual and herd-level seroprevalence of Mycoplasma spp. was 12% and 79%, respectively. The proportion of seropositive animals was 0-41% and 0-9% for herds with or without a history of M. bovis-associated disease, respectively. Mycoplasma spp. appear to be widespread in bison in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Eight of 11 herds with no history of M. bovis-associated disease were seropositive for Mycoplasma spp., which suggests that bison can be subclinically infected with Mycoplasma spp., or that infection may be underdiagnosed. Although not specific to M. bovis, the in-house ELISA developed to detect antibodies against Mycoplasma spp. may prove to be a valuable herd-level screening tool, providing insight needed for the development of appropriate prevention and control measures for Mycoplasma-related disease in bison herds.

Status of the development of a vaccine against Mycoplasma bovis.

Mycoplasma bovis is an important pathogen of cattle and, despite numerous efforts an effective vaccine for control of the disease it causes remains elusive. Although we now know more about the biology of this pathogen, information is lacking about appropriate protective antigens, the type of immune response that confers protection and adjuvants selection. The use of conserved recombinant proteins, selected using in silico approaches, as components of a vaccine may be a better choice over bacterin-based vaccines due to the limited protection afforded by them and adverse reactions caused by them. More studies are needed on the characterization of host-pathogen interactions and to elucidate M. bovis products modulating these interactions. These products could be the basis for development of vaccines to control M. bovis infections in dairy farms and feedlots.