Biochemical and immunological characterization of anthrax spore vaccine in goat

Abstract

Anthrax is caused by Bacillus anthracis bacterium and an acute infectious febrile septicemic disease of all warm-blooded animals including human. It is a disease of major economic importance in ruminant specially in goat characterized principally by a rapid fatal course followed by sudden death. The present investigation was under taken to determine the biochemical characterization of anthrax spore vaccine bacteria and to determine the immunological response in goat after anthrax vaccination. Anthrax vaccine was collected from local government veterinary hospital, Mymensingh which was prepared by LRI. The goats were selected from different regions of Bangladesh. The used methods were culture of vaccine bacterial sediment in different media, staining of bacteria with Gram’s stain, and sugar fermentation tests for biochemical characterization of anthrax vaccine bacteria. Slide agglutination test and indirect ELISA tests were performed for immunological response after vaccination. Morphologically anthrax vaccine bacteria was gram positive rod shaped or short chain in anthrax vaccine sediment, culture in nutrient agar and nutrient broth. The anthrax vaccine bacteria fermented three sugars (dextrose, maltose and sucrose) and produced only acid but did not ferment two sugars (lactose and mannitol). Immunuglobulin of collected serum (Day0, Day30 and Day90) also agglutinated anthrax antigen on Day 30 and Day 90 of post immunization and onwards. Indirect ELISA provided evidence that immunization of captive and free range goat generated level of anti anthrax 1gG antibody response at Day 0 (OD Value 0.5474±0.0466) of immunization and reached its peak at Day 30 (OD Value 0.9604±0.0936) and maintained that level up to the end of the study (Day 90, OD Value 1.217±0.1129). After vaccination, immunological response was found in goat. However whether this immune response can protect natural anthrax infection need to be evaluated through challenge dose of fields isolates of Bacillus anthracis in future.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjvm.v11i2.19140Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2013).11(2): 151-157