Experimental vaccination against Mycoplasma agalactiae using different inactivated vaccines

• Published in: Vaccine Vol. 17; no. 22; pp. 2764 - 2768
• Main Authors: Tola, S, Manunta, D, Rocca, S, M. Rocchigiani, A, Idini, G, P. Angioi, P, Leori, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 16-07-1999; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal productions; Animals; Antibodies, Bacterial - biosynthesis; Bacterial Vaccines - therapeutic use; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Challenge; Disease Models, Animal; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Immunity; Microbiology; Mycoplasma - growth & development; Mycoplasma - immunology; Mycoplasma agalactiae; Mycoplasma Infections - prevention & control; Pregnancy; Sheep; Terrestrial animal productions; Vaccine; Vaccines, antisera, therapeutical immunoglobulins and monoclonal antibodies; Vaccines, Inactivated - therapeutic use; Vertebrates; Mycoplasma agalactiae; Vaccine; Immunity; Challenge; Lactation; Mollicutes; Mycoplasmatales; Bacteria; Female; Ungulata; Humoral immunity; Immunoprotection; Mycoplasmataceae; Infection; Pregnancy; Vertebrata; Contagious agalactia; Mammalia; Immunogenicity; Immunological adjuvant; Animal; Bacteriosis; Sheep; Artiodactyla; Veterinary; Mycoplasmal infection; Inactivated strain
• ISSN: 0264-410X; 1873-2518
• DOI: 10.1016/S0264-410X(99)00070-5

Five sets of vaccines were prepared using
Mycoplasma agalactiae washed cultures inactivated with phenol (1), formalin (2), heat-treatment (3), sodium hypochlorite (4) and saponin (5). All sets, except for saponin-vaccine, were adjuvated with aluminium hydroxide. Five groups of six
sarda ewes were inoculated twice before pregnancy, once during pregnancy and challenged during the lactation period. Monthly blood samples were taken from the vaccinated sheep and from 12 controls: sera were assayed by immunoblotting, ELISA and growth inhibition tests. Four control sheep were infected by intracanalicular route with pooled mycoplasmas at concentrations of 10
4, 10
5, 10
6 and 10
7 CCU. The challenge involved using infected milk to contaminate the remaining sheep. All the controls and some ewes from groups 2, 3 and 4 developed contagious agalactia. Ewes vaccinated with phenol- and saponin-inactivated mycoplasmas resisted experimental challenge. These results suggest that these two vaccines are effective and that their use could limit the diffusion of
M. agalactiae infection.