Protection of sheep against experimental footrot by vaccination with pili purified from Bacteroides nodosus

Authors: Skerman TM, Every D
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 30, Issue 10, pp 156-158, Oct 1982
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Livestock, Production animal, Ruminant, Sheep
Subject Terms: Animal remedies/veterinary medicines, Bacterial, Biosecurity, Disease control/eradication, Epidemiology, Hoof/claw, Disease/defect, Infectious disease, Limb - lower, Immune system/immunology, Locomotor, Research/development, Vaccination
Article class: Scientific Article

---

Abstract: Merino sheep vaccinated with either whole Bacteroides nodosus organisms, a crude surface antigen preparation or highly purified pili (>99% homogeneity) in oil adjuvant, developed significant resistance to artificial footrot infection when compared with unvaccinated control sheep inoculated with saline-in-oil emulsion (Freund`s incomplete adjuvant) alone. The pili-vaccinated sheep generally had higher K-agglutinating antibody titres than sheep vaccinated with whole B. nodosus. These results confirmed the role of B. nodosus pilus protein both as a protective antigen and the K-agglutinogen. Vaccines prepared with Freund`s incomplete adjuvant containing either purified pili, crude pili or B. nodosus whole cells did not produce significantly different injection-site reactions.

---