Abstract
Clostridium perfringens is an anaerobic bacterium that produces several toxins. Of these, the alpha, beta, and epsilon toxins are responsible for causing the most severe C. perfringens-related diseases in farm animals. The best way to control these diseases is through vaccination. However, commercially available vaccines are based on inactivated toxins and have many production drawbacks, which can be overcome through the use of recombinant antigens. In this study, we produced recombinant alpha, beta, and epsilon toxins in Escherichia coli to formulate a trivalent vaccine. Its effectiveness was evaluated through a potency test in rabbits, in which the vaccine generated 9.6, 24.4, and 25.0 IU/mL of neutralizing antibodies against the respective toxins. Following this, cattle, sheep, and goats received the same formulation, generating, respectively, 5.19 ± 0.48, 4.34 ± 0.43, and 4.70 ± 0.58 IU/mL against alpha toxin, 13.71 ± 1.17 IU/mL (for all three species) against beta toxin, and 12.74 ± 1.70, 7.66 ± 1.69, and 8.91 ± 2.14 IU/mL against epsilon toxin. These levels were above the minimum recommended by international protocols. As such, our vaccine was effective in generating protective antibodies and, thus, may represent an interesting alternative for the prevention of C. perfringens-related intoxications in farm animals.
Highlights
The most important C. perfringens types in agricultural veterinary medicine are C and D, since they affect the majority of farm animals
The country has the 2nd largest cattle herd in the world and is the world’s largest cattle meat exporter, selling to more than 180 countries. It is the 18th largest country in the world in terms of the exportation of caprine products[5]. Since these three farm animals are susceptible to C. perfringens toxins and the eradication of the diseases caused by these toxins is almost impossible, vaccination represents the best approach through which to control these diseases
The production of vaccines that can protect against Clostridium spp. has been continually reported as problematic due to factors related to the culture of these pathogenic microorganisms and how they behave under anaerobic conditions[13,14,15]
Summary
The most important C. perfringens types in agricultural veterinary medicine are C and D, since they affect the majority of farm animals The former produces alpha and beta toxins, and can cause several diseases, mainly necrotizing enteritis, in many farm animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, and swine. The role of alpha toxin in the pathogenesis of intestinal diseases in mammals is still not fully understood, it is considered the main causative agent of gas gangrene, which is mainly related to C. perfringens type A infections[3] This disease results from the pathogen coming into direct contact with damaged skin or muscle tissues, and can affect both animals and humans[1,4]. The present study aimed to develop a trivalent recombinant vaccine against the three major C. perfringens toxins—alpha, beta, and epsilon—and to evaluate the efficacy of this vaccine in cattle, sheep, and goats
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