Abstract
Vibrio (V.) vulnificus infection is a rare disease whose death rates exceed 50% despite aggressive antibiotic treatment and surgical debridement. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of specific anti-V. vulnificus immunoglobulins Y (IgYs) for preventing and treating V. vulnificus infections. IgYs were produced by immunizing egg laying hens with inactivated whole cell bacteria. Peritoneal cytokines, blood's bacterial load, and survival curves were obtained from both prophylactic and therapeutic mouse models. The results showed that the specific IgYs (i) inhibited the growth of V. vulnificus in vitro, (ii) dramatically reduced the inflammatory response and blood's bacterial load, and (iii) improved the survival rate of V. vulnificus-infected mice. These results prove that anti-V. vulnificus IgYs can be markedly effective means for the prophylaxis and the therapy of V. vulnificus infections.
Highlights
Vibrio (V.) vulnificus is a halophilic Gram-negative pathogen that is naturally present in estuarine waters, contaminated oysters, and other shellfish [1, 2]
V. vulnificus is usually vulnerable to most antibiotics, several studies have reported that it could resist multiple antibiotics because of the ongoing misuse of antibiotics in aquaculture farming [5]
Specific Anti-V. vulnificus IgYs Reduced the Inflammatory Response and the Blood Bacterial Load. In both the prophylactic and therapeutic mouse models, the levels of the peritoneal lavage proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α were significantly lower in the specific IgY-treated group than in the no IgYand the nonspecific IgY-treated groups. These results showed that the administration of the specific IgYs could mitigate the inflammatory response to V. vulnificus infection (Figures 3(a) and 3(c))
Summary
Vibrio (V.) vulnificus is a halophilic Gram-negative pathogen that is naturally present in estuarine waters, contaminated oysters, and other shellfish [1, 2]. V. vulnificus infection may progress to severe skin lesions and septicemia in people with predisposing conditions, including liver diseases, hereditary hemochromatosis, and a compromised immune system [2, 3]. Infection by this agent is the prominent cause of seafood-related deaths. Notwithstanding aggressive interventions like surgical debridement and antibiotic treatment, V. vulnificus infection-caused septicemia has a mortality rate equal to or higher than 50%. The methods and effects of the current treatments against V. vulnificus infections are still inadequate. V. vulnificus is usually vulnerable to most antibiotics, several studies have reported that it could resist multiple antibiotics because of the ongoing misuse of antibiotics in aquaculture farming [5]
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