Brucella Vaccine Research Articles

Brucellosis Outbreak in China, 2019

During late July to August 2019, Zhongmu Lanzhou biopharmaceutical plant of Gansu province was producing brucella vaccine for animals and reportedly used an expired disinfectant for cleaning, which failed to kill all the bacteria. At the same time a leak occurred in the plant, which allowed the contaminated waste in the form of aerosol to be leaked in the air. This caused the first outbreak in the Lanzhou animal research institute as the contaminated aerosols were carried and spread there. Community transmission took place after this event. The infection has so far been confirmed in 10,528 people after testing - 68571 people up to November 30, 2020.

Survival and dispersal of brucella vaccine strain brucella abortus 19 in the body of vaccinated animals

In the general complex of antibrucellosis measures, specific prevention of the disease occupies an important place. The first experiments on vaccination of animals against brucellosis were carried out in the early 20th century. Experiments have shown that even a single subcutaneous vaccination with a live virulent culture 2 months before fertilization in 90% of cases protects animals from subsequent infection and abortion. Of all the brucellosis vaccines used in different countries, the most widespread is the vaccine from the B. abortus 19 strain, which is used to prevent brucellosis in all farm animals. When studying the dispersal and survival of brucella of the vaccine strain in the body of animals vaccinated with different doses of the vaccine, it proceeded similarly, without significant difference (P>0,05). The infection index in heifers vaccinated with a small dose 1 month after vaccination was 60±2, and in heifers vaccinated with a full dose - 74±4. Two months after vaccination, the infection index was 44±16 and 44±4, respectively. 2 months after vaccination, the total number of isolated cultures was 21% less than in the study 1 month after vaccination. According to the total data, 38.5% of cultures were sown from the pharyngeal and prescapular lymph nodes of heifers vaccinated with a small dose 1 month after vaccination, and 20% after 2 months. In heifers vaccinated with a full dose, 28.1% and 26.9%, respectively. Thus, the results of the experiment showed that the dispersibility and survival rate of brucella vaccine strain B. abortus 19 in the body of heifers slightly depends on the dose of the vaccine, which is consistent with the data obtained by us in the experiment on guinea pigs, as well as with the data of other authors.

Safety and Transcriptome Analysis of Live Attenuated Brucella Vaccine Strain S2 on Non-pregnant Cynomolgus Monkeys Without Abortive Effect on Pregnant Cynomolgus Monkeys.

Brucellosis, caused by Brucella spp., is an important zoonotic disease leading to enormous economic losses in livestock, posing a great threat to public health worldwide. The live attenuated Brucella suis (B. suis) strain S2, a safe and effective vaccine, is widely used in animals in China. However, S2 vaccination in animals may raise debates and concerns in terms of safety to primates, particularly humans. In this study, we used cynomolgus monkey as an animal model to evaluate the safety of the S2 vaccine strain on primates. In addition, we performed transcriptome analysis to determine gene expression profiling on cynomolgus monkeys immunized with the S2 vaccine. Our results suggested that the S2 vaccine was safe for cynomolgus monkeys. The transcriptome analysis identified 663 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), of which 348 were significantly upregulated and 315 were remarkably downregulated. The Gene Ontology (GO) classification and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis indicated that these DEGs were involved in various biological processes (BPs), including the chemokine signaling pathway, actin cytoskeleton regulation, the defense response, immune system processing, and the type-I interferon signaling pathway. The molecular functions of the DEGs were mainly comprised of 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase activity, double-stranded RNA binding, and actin-binding. Moreover, the cellular components of these DEGs included integrin complex, myosin II complex, and blood microparticle. Our findings alleviate the concerns over the safety of the S2 vaccine on primates and provide a genetic basis for the response from a mammalian host following vaccination with the S2 vaccine.

A new candidate vaccine for human brucellosis based on influenza viral vectors: a preliminary investigation for the development of an immunization schedule in a guinea pig model

BackgroundA new candidate vector vaccine against human brucellosis based on recombinant influenza viral vectors (rIVV) subtypes H5N1 expressing Brucella outer membrane protein (Omp) 16, L7/L12, Omp19 or Cu–Zn SOD proteins has been developed. This paper presents the results of the study of protection of the vaccine using on guinea pigs, including various options of administering, dose and frequency. Provided data of the novel vaccine candidate will contribute to its further movement into the preclinical stage study.MethodsGeneral states of guinea pigs was assessed based on behavior and dynamics of a guinea pig weight-gain test. The effectiveness of the new anti-brucellosis vector vaccine was determined by studying its protective effect after conjunctival, intranasal and sublingual administration in doses 105 EID50, 106 EID50 and 107 EID50 during prime and boost vaccinations of animals, followed by challenge with a virulent strain of B. melitensis 16 M infection. For sake of comparison, the commercial B. melitensis Rev.1 vaccine was used as a control. The protective properties of vaccines were assessed by quantitation of Brucella colonization in organs and tissues of infected animals and compared to the control groups.ResultsIt was observed a gradual increase in body weight of guinea pigs after prime and booster immunization with the vaccine using conjunctival, intranasal and sublingual routes of administration, as well as after using various doses of vaccine. The most optimal way of using the vaccine has been established: double intranasal immunization of guinea pigs at a dose of 106 EID50, which provides 80% protection of guinea pigs from B. melitensis 16 M infection (P < 0.05), which is comparable to the results of the effectiveness of the commercial B. melitensis Rev.1 vaccine.ConclusionsWe developed effective human vaccine candidate against brucellosis and developed its immunization protocol in guinea pig model. We believe that because of these studies, the proposed vaccine has achieved the best level of protection, which in turn provides a basis for its further promotion.

Characteristics of Brucella abortus vaccine strain A19 reveals its potential mechanism of attenuated virulence

Brucella vaccination is one of the most important strategies for controlling brucellosis in livestock. The A19 strain was the effective vaccine used to control brucellosis in China. However, the characteristics of physiological and attenuated virulence of the A19 strain are not investigated in detail. In this study, we compared the phenotypic characteristics of the A19 to the wild-type strain S2308. Virulence test showed that the A19 was significantly attenuated at chronic infection stage in infected mouse model. In growth analysis, the A19 exhibited a quick growth at exponential phase and premature at stationary phase. The inflammatory response of macrophages infected by the A19 was detected using TaqMan qPCR assay, indicating that the inflammatory level of the A19-infected macrophages was higher than that of the S2308 infection. Cell death analysis showed that the A19 was not cytotoxic for macrophages. Cell infection showed that the A19 reduced its ability to invade, survive and traffic within host cells, and the intracellular A19 hardly excludes lysosome-associated marker LAMP-1, suggesting that the A19 can’t escape the lysosome degradation within host cells. In further study, the sensitivity test exhibited that the A19 is more sensitive to stress and bactericidal factors than the S2308 strain, Western blot and silver staining analysis exhibited that the A19 has a different expression pattern of OMPs and reduces LPS O-antigen expression relative to the S2308 strain. Those data give us a more detailed understanding about the A19 vaccine strain, which will be beneficial for improvement of current Brucella vaccine and overcoming its defects.

Study on immunogenicity and antigenicity of a novel brucella multiepitope recombined protein

Currently, brucellosis is a reemerged zoonotic infectious disease with an increased incidence in recent years. A simple, rapid and sensitive method for diagnosing brucellosis can help to reduce medical burden and economic loss. Previously, a multiple epitope recombinant protein was constructed based on linear B-cell epitope prediction tools. In this study, the recombinant protein was used as an antigen to study the immune response produced by immunized mice, and goat serum was used to verify its diagnostic accuracy. The production of antibodies was successfully induced in the vaccinated mice. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that the percentage of CD4+, CD8+ and the CD4+/CD8+ ratios were increased by T cell subsets in mouse splenocytes, indicating that the recombinant protein induced a strong immune response had strong immunoreactivity. Using indirect ELISA, the recombinant protein correctly diagnosed positive and negative brucellosis samples. Compared with the whole bacterial antigen, the recombinant protein had a weaker sensitivity but a stronger specificity. Animal experiments showed that the recombinant protein had good antigenicity, and indirect ELISA indicates that it can be used as an antigen to diagnose brucellosis. Therefore, the recombinant protein is a potential candidate antigen for brucellosis vaccine development and serological diagnosis.

In search of a combined brucellosis and tuberculosis vaccine for cattle

Bovine brucellosis is caused by Brucella abortus. The bacterial pathogen causes economic losses because it induces abortion in cattle. Vaccination of calves with live B. abortus strain 19 induces a certain level of protection but induces persistent antibodies against cell envelope lipopolysaccharide that make it difficult to Distinguish Infected from Vaccinated Animals (DIVA). Live vaccine B. abortus strain RB51 was developed to eliminate such interfering antibodies and therefore, facilitate the differentiation of infected from vaccinated animals and help in the eradication of the disease. Vaccination with strain RB51 induces levels of protection similar to strain 19 but neither of the two vaccines give complete protection. We have been working to enhance protection induced by strain RB51 vaccine. Protective Brucella antigens can be over-expressed in strain RB51 by introducing a plasmid containing the leuB gene and the genes encoding such antigens. To avoid the expression of antibiotic resistance genes, we produced a leuB deficient strain RB51 and introduced a plasmid containing the leuB gene and the genes to be over-expressed. This new strain maintains the plasmid and has induced significantly high protection levels in mice. In addition, it allowed the construction of an RB51 vaccine strain able to express Mycobacterium bovis protective antigens so that the vaccine could protect against brucellosis and tuberculosis simultaneously.

Development of Human Vectored Brucellosis Vaccine Formulation: Assessment of Safety and Protectiveness of Influenza Viral Vectors Expressing Brucella Immunodominant Proteins in Mice and Guinea Pigs.

In this paper, we first used recombinant influenza viral vector (rIVV) subtype H5N1 expressing from the open reading frame of NS1 80 and NS1 124 amino acids of Brucella outer membrane proteins (Omp) 16 and 19, ribosomal L7/L12, and Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) proteins to develop a human brucellosis vaccine. We made 18 combinations of IVVs in mono-, bi-, and tetravalent vaccine formulations and tested them on mice to select the safest and most effective vaccine samples. Then, the most effective vaccine candidates were further tested on guinea pigs. Safety of the rIVV-based vaccine candidate was evaluated by a mouse weight-gain test. Mice and guinea pigs were challenged with the virulent strain B. melitensis 16M. The protective effect of the rIVV-based vaccine candidate was assessed by quantitation of Brucella colonization in tissues and organs of challenged animals. All vaccine formulations were safe in mice. Tested vaccine formulations, as well as the commercial B. melitensis Rev.1 vaccine, have been found to protect mice from B. melitensis 16M infection within the range of 1.6 to 2.97 log10 units (P < 0.05). Tetravalent vaccine formulations from the position of NS1 80 amino acids (0.2 ± 0.4), as well as the commercial B. melitensis Rev.1 vaccine (1.2 ± 2.6), have been found to protect guinea pigs from B. melitensis 16M infection at a significant level (P < 0.05). Thus, tetravalent vaccine formulation Flu-NS1-80-Omp16+Flu-NS1-80-L7/L12+Flu-NS1-80-Omp19+Flu-NS1-80-SOD was chosen as a potential vaccine candidate for further development of an effective human vaccine against brucellosis. These results show a promising future for the development of a safe human vaccine against brucellosis based on rIVVs.

ЭКСПРЕССИЯ ПОВЕРХНОСТНОГО АНТИГЕНА BRUCELLA ABORTUS ОМР16 В РАСТЕНИИ NICOTIANA BENTHAMIANA

Brucellosis is one of the most contagious and infectious diseases with high incidence rates of cattle and humans in Kazakhstan. Using modern biotechnology techniques to develop vaccines that are reliable and affordable for farmers is an alternative solution to the problem. Plant viruses are often used as a vector for obtaining the expression of antigens of the pathogen. The grape virus A (BAB) is widely used among plant viruses. Brucella membrane proteins are the main objects of this research for futher development of vaccines or diagnostic texts against brucellosis, Membrane proteins (OMPs) are cell specific surface antigens that are immunogenic. OMPs are ideal candidates for the production of recombinant brucellosis vaccines. The object of the study was the outer membrane protein (Omp16), which plays an important role in the suppression of TNF-α production in macrophages. In this study, molecular cloning and analysis of the expression of the Omp16 gene, which was used to express the recombinant protein in plants, was carried out. We selected brucella from the vaccine strain of Brucella abortus 19, and the plant Nicotiana benthamiana, as the subjects for our research, since they widely used for the production of recombinant proteins, and they both appropriate for molecular genetic research. A viral vector was constructed to express the brucellosis antigen Omp16 in Nicotiana benthamiana plants. Nineteen explants were used for the regeneration of transgenic plants. As a result of this studies, the introduced gene of Omp16 was under the subgenomic promoter control of the ORF4 and was successfully expressed while maintaining the efficiency of expression in transgenic plants. The efficiency of viral vectors was evaluated at the level of transcription during expression of the protein Omp16 with viral proteins. The entire leaf blade was infiltrated; the density of Agrobacteria was 0.7. We were able to obtained transgenic plants Nicotiana benthamiana carrying the gene of capsid protein BAB, and the expression of the membrane antigen Omp16 in the viral vector was achieved by replacing the ORF4 with the Omp16 gene. The development of transgenic plants was carried out using agrobacterial transformation.

Comparison of Immune Effects Between Brucella Recombinant Omp10-Omp28-L7/L12 Proteins Expressed in Eukaryotic and Prokaryotic Systems.

Brucella, a genus of bacteria that causes brucellosis, infects and threatens domestic animals, and humans in endemic areas. Presently, some live attenuated vaccines of Brucella are used to immunize livestock; however, these vaccines are pathogenic to humans, can provoke abortion when administered to pregnant livestock, and induce antibodies in vaccinated livestock that affect the diagnosis of field infection. It is, therefore, very important for improving the safety and immune protection effects of Brucella vaccine. Currently, recombinant protein-based subunit vaccines are considered promising safe and effective alternatives against brucellosis. Here, we separately expressed the recombinant Omp10-Omp28-L7/L12 proteins of Brucella using eukaryotic and prokaryotic expression systems, which were then used as immunogens for evaluating their immune responses. Taishan Pinus massoniana pollen polysaccharides (TPPPS), an already verified natural adjuvant, was utilized to evaluate the immune conditioning effect on the recombinant proteins. Antibody levels, spleen lymphocyte proliferation, percentages of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and cytokine secretion in mice were examined after three successive immunizations. The protective effects against Brucella challenge were also evaluated in mice, and used a live vaccine as a positive control. The results indicated that the immune responses of the recombinant Omp10-Omp28-L7/L12 protein groups were significantly higher than those of the PBS control group. The recombinant Omp10-Omp28-L7/L12 protein expressed in Pichia pastoris (P. pastoris) exhibited a slightly higher expression level and immunogenicity than that expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli), and the Omp10-Omp28-L7/L12 (P. pastoris) + TPPPS group provided the most pronounced immune effect. The protective results showed that the recombinant Omp10-Omp28-L7/L12 proteins expressed in the two expression systems had significantly better protective effects against Brucella melitensis challenge compared with the negative control, and the addition of TPPPS adjuvant could significantly improve the protective effects of subunit vaccines. However, we also noticed that all of the evaluated subunit vaccines induced less protection than the B. melitensis M5 live vaccine. These results indicate that the combination of recombinant Omp10-Omp28-L7/L12 antigen and TPPPS adjuvant shows potential as an effective brucellosis subunit vaccine, and P. pastoris is a preferred expression system to prepare this recombinant subunit antigen.

The UTP-glucose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase of Brucella melitensis inhibits the activation of NF-κB via regulating the bacterial type IV secretion system

UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase (UGPase) is an important pyrophosphatase that reversibly catalyzes the synthesis of UDP-glucose during glucose metabolism. We previously found that the deletion of UGPase may affect structure, growth, the virulence of Brucella, and the activation of cellular NF-κB. However, the exact mechanism of activation of NF-κB regulated by Brucella UGPase is still unclear. Here, we found for the first time that UGPase can regulate the expression of virB proteins (virB3, virB4, virB5, virB6, virB8, virB9, virB10, and virB11) of type IV secretion system (T4SS) as well as effectors (vceC, btpA, btpB, ricA, bspB, bspC, and bspF) of Brucella by promoting the expression of ribosomal S12 protein (rpsL), BMEI1825, and quinone of 2,4,5-trihydroxyphenylalanine (topA) proteins, and further inhibits the activation of cellular NF-κB and affects the virulence of Brucella. Our findings provide new insights into the mechanism used by Brucella to escape the immune recognition, which is expected to be of great value in the designing of Brucella vaccines and the screening of drug targets.

Extraction and biological evaluation of external membrane vesicles of Brucella abortus as a candidate for brucellosis vaccine

Amaç: Bruselloz, hayvan ve insan sağlığını etkileyen endemik bir zoonotik hastalıktır. Son birkaç on yılda, hastalığı kontrol etmek için daha güvenli Brucella aşıları geliştirmek için çok araştırma yapılmıştır. Dış zar vezikülleri (OMV'ler), insan brusellozunu önlemek için bir alt birim aşı için immünojenik yapılar olarak düşünülmüştür. Bu çalışmanın amacı Brusella abortus'un dış zar veziküllerini bruselloz aşısı için aday olarak değerlendirmektir.Yöntemler: Bu çalışmada Brucella abortus, S99 suşu kullanıldı. Brucella abortusun kitle kültivasyonundan sonra OMV ekstraksiyonu, Ultracentrifugation ve Sodium Dosoxycotinate tarafından gerçekleştirildi. SDS-PAGE yöntemi, fizikokimyasal özellikleri değerlendirmek için protein paternini ve elektron mikroskopisini gözlemlemek için kullanıldı. OMV'deki LOS miktarı da LAL testi ile ölçüldü. Protein konsantrasyonunun belirlenmesinden sonra farelere belirli bir konsantrasyonda enjekte edildi ve antikoru değerlendirmek için kan örnekleri alındı. Son olarak serum izolasyonundan sonra antikor üretimi ELISA yöntemi ile ölçüldü.Bulgular: OMV'de mevcut protein miktarı 0,1 mg/ml idi. OMV'nin boyutu 55 ila 150 nm idi ve SDS-PAGE değerlendirmesinde protein aralığı >25 kDa idi. LAL testindeki LOS değeri yetkili aralıkta rapor edildi. İlk enjeksiyondan sonra IgG düzeylerinde (P=0,001) kontrol grubuna kıyasla ve daha sonraki güçlendiricilerde anlamlı artış gözlendi. En yüksek tepki oranı ikinci güçlendiricide gözlenmiştir.Sonuç: OMV ekstraksiyon sırasında uzamsal şeklini korumaktadır ve Brucella düşüklerine karşı yüksek derecede spesifik antikorların üretimini indükleme potansiyeline sahiptir. Bu nedenle klinik fazları inceledikten sonra aday bir aşı olarak düşünülebilir.

Development of attenuated live vaccine candidates against swine brucellosis in a non-zoonotic B. suis biovar 2 background

Brucella is a genus of gram-negative bacteria that cause brucellosis. B. abortus and B. melitensis infect domestic ruminants while B. suis (biovars 1–3) infect swine, and all these bacteria but B. suis biovar 2 are zoonotic. Live attenuated B. abortus S19 and B. melitensis Rev1 are effective vaccines in domestic ruminants, though both can infect humans. However, there is no swine brucellosis vaccine. Here, we investigated the potential use as vaccines of B. suis biovar 2 rough (R) lipopolysaccharide (LPS) mutants totally lacking O-chain (Bs2ΔwbkF) or only producing internal O-chain precursors (Bs2Δwzm) and mutants with a smooth (S) LPS defective in the core lateral branch (Bs2ΔwadB and Bs2ΔwadD). We also investigated mutants in the pyruvate phosphate dikinase (Bs2ΔppdK) and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (Bs2ΔpckA) genes encoding enzymes bridging phosphoenolpyruvate and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. When tested in the OIE mouse model at the recommended R or S vaccine doses (108 and 105 CFU, respectively), CFU/spleen of all LPS mutants were reduced with respect to the wild type and decreased faster for the R than for the S mutants. At those doses, protection against B. suis was similar for Bs2ΔwbkF, Bs2Δwzm, Bs2ΔwadB and the Rev1 control (105 CFU). As described before for B. abortus, B. suis biovar 2 carried a disabled pckA so that a double mutant Bs2ΔppdKΔpckA had the same metabolic phenotype as Bs2ΔppdK and ppdK mutation was enough to generate attenuation. At 105 CFU, Bs2ΔppdK also conferred the same protection as Rev1. As compared to other B. suis vaccine candidates described before, the mutants described here simultaneously carry irreversible deletions easy to identify as vaccine markers, lack antibiotic-resistance markers and were obtained in a non-zoonotic background. Since R vaccines should not elicit antibodies to the S-LPS and wzm mutants carry immunogenic O-chain precursors and did not improve Bs2ΔwbkF, the latter seems a better R vaccine candidate than Bs2Δwzm. However, taking into account that all R vaccines interfere in ELISA and other widely used assays, whether Bs2ΔwbkF is advantageous over Bs2ΔwadB or Bs2ΔppdK requires experiments in the natural host.

Prospects for Improving Quality Evaluation of the Live Brucellosis Vaccine in Terms of Specific Activity

Prophylactic immunisation against brucellosis is part of the National Immunisation Schedule for Epidemic Settings. The immunisation is performed with a live vaccine—a lyophilized suspension of the Brucella abortus strain 19 BА in a stabilizing medium. The paper presents the results of quality evaluation of 9 batches of live brucellosis vaccine that were submitted to the Testing Centre for Evaluation of Medicinal Immunobiological Products’ Quality of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Scientific Centre for Expert Evaluation of Medicinal Products” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation for assessment of the product’s compliance with the established specifications. The paper also presents the results of evaluation of the passport information provided by the manufacturer for these batches. There is no doubt about the need for objective quality evaluation of brucellosis vaccines as well as about the significance of its improvement.The aim of study was to assess the prospects for improving quality evaluation of live brucellosis vaccines in terms of Specific activity (concentration of microbial cells, number of living microbial cells, number of cutaneous doses).Materials and methods: specific activity (concentration of microbial cells and number of living microbial cells) was determined by visual and microbiological methods using the industrial reference standard of brucellosis vaccine OSO 42-28-396-2018, batch 6 and the bacterial suspension of the Brucella abortus strain 19 BА acquired from the joint stock company Scientific and Production Association “Microgen” in 2016. The number of cutaneous doses in the brusellosis vaccine was determined by the calculation method. Statistical processing of the results was performed using Microsoft Excel.Results: there was a mismatch between the brucella concentration coefficient of 1.7×109 microbial cells/mL determined by comparison with the industrial reference standard of bacterial suspension turbidity, 10 IU and the actual concentration of microbial cells obtained in the study. According to preliminary results, the brucella concentration coefficient corresponding to the industrial reference standard of bacterial suspension turbidity, 10 IU can reach 3.0×109 microbial cells/mL.Conclusions: the obtained results can serve as a basis for amending the data on the brucella concentration coefficient in the Passport and the Instructions for use of the industrial reference standard of bacterial suspension turbidity, 10 IU, as well as the Specific activity section (concentration of microbial cells, number of living microbial cells, number of cutaneous doses) of the established specifications for the brucellosis vaccine. Before amending the information on the brucella concentration corresponding to 10 IU in the Passport and the Instructions for use of the reference standard of bacterial suspension turbidity (OSO 42-28-85P), additional studies should be performed with other types of brucella.

Bioinformatics analysis of candidate proteins Omp2b, P39 and BLS for Brucella multivalent epitope vaccines

This study focuses on analyzing the physicochemical properties, structural characteristics and dominant epitopes of Brucella outer membrane protein 2b (Omp2b), periplasmic binding protein (P39) and Brucella lumazine synthase (BLS) proteins by bioinformatics methods, and to provide a theoretical basis for constructing multi-epitope vaccines. The amino acid sequences of three kinds of proteins were obtained from the UniProt database. The highest frequency alleles in northern China were obtained from the AlleleFrequencies database. Analysis of the physicochemical properties of the proteins by ProtParam online software. Analysis of the secondary structure of the proteins were predicted by SOMPA online software. Using SWISS-MODEL online software constructed and analyzed the tertiary structure of the proteins. Using ABCpred, BepiPred, BCPred and SVMTrip online software analyzed linear B cell epitopes of proteins, The T cell dominant epitope of the protein was analyzed using SYFPEITHI, RANKPEP and IEDB online software. Omp2b was identified three linear B cell dominant epitopes, five CD8+ T cell dominant epitopes, and three CD4+ T cell dominant epitopes. P39 was identified three linear B cell dominant epitopes, two CD8+ T cell dominant epitopes, and two CD4+ T cell dominant epitopes. BLS was identified one linear B cell dominant epitope, one CD8+ T cell dominant epitope, and two CD4+ T cell dominant epitopes. The results indicated that epitope prediction of three Brucella vaccine candidate proteins can provide a theoretical basis for the construction of an ideal multivalent epitope vaccine against Brucella.

Evaluation of Poly(I:C) and combination of CpG ODN plus Montanide ISA adjuvants to enhance the efficacy of outer membrane vesicles as an acellular vaccine against Brucella melitensis infection in mice

Brucellosis is the most common zoonotic disease worldwide and still there is no vaccine for human use. The commercial animal vaccines also have major problems that limit their use. Therefore, there is a need for an effective Brucella vaccine which is multivalent and produces a good protective immunity with minimal disadvantages. Due to their heterogeneous composition and diverse functions, OMVs are promising acellular vaccine candidates against brucellosis. In the present study, the potential of Poly(I:C) or CpG ODN 1826+ Montanide ISA 70 VG adjuvant formulations were evaluated to enhance the immunity and protection levels conferred by OMVs against Brucella challenge in mice. The results indicated that both vaccine regimens were able to induce strong Th1-biased responses and confer protective levels significantly higher than REV.1 live vaccine. With regard to the results, it is concluded that OMVs in either adjuvant can be introduced as a new vaccine candidate against B. melitensis infection.

Evaluation of the Efficacy of the Brucella canis RM6/66 ΔvjbR Vaccine Candidate for Protection against B. canis Infection in Mice.

Brucella canis is a Gram-negative, facultative intracellular bacterium and the causative agent of canine brucellosis, a highly contagious disease of dogs that can be transmitted to humans. Unfortunately, no vaccine is available to prevent infection. We recently characterized the kinetics of B. canis infection in the mouse model, establishing the required dose necessary to achieve systemic infection. The objective of this study was to investigate the utility of the mouse model in assessing canine brucellosis vaccine candidates and to subsequently investigate the safety and efficacy of a live attenuated vaccine, the B. canis RM6/66 ΔvjbR strain. Mice vaccinated with a dose of 109 CFU of the vaccine strain by both intraperitoneal and subcutaneous routes were afforded significant protection against organ colonization and development of histopathologic lesions following intraperitoneal challenge. Addition of an adjuvant or a booster dose 2 weeks following initial vaccination did not alter protection levels. Vaccination also resulted in a robust humoral immune response in mice, and B. canis RM6/66 ΔvjbR was capable of activating canine dendritic cells in vitro These data demonstrate that the B. canis RM6/66 ΔvjbR strain shows promise as a vaccine for canine brucellosis and validates the mouse model for future vaccine efficacy studies.IMPORTANCE Canine brucellosis, caused by Brucella canis, is the primary cause of reproductive failure in dogs and represents a public health concern due to its zoonotic nature. Cases in dogs in the United States have been increasing due to the persistent nature of the bacterium, deficiencies in current diagnostic testing, and, most importantly, the lack of a protective vaccine. Current estimates place the seroprevalence of B. canis in the southern United States at 7% to 8%, but with the unprecedented rates of animals moving across state and international borders and the lack of federal regulations in regard to testing, the true seroprevalence of B. canis in the United States may very well be higher. Vaccination represents the most effective method of brucellosis control and, in response to the demand for a vaccine against B. canis, we have developed the live attenuated B. canis RM6/66 ΔvjbR vaccine strain capable of protecting mice against challenge.

Vaccination with a Live Attenuated Brucella abortus Mutant Stimulates Cytotoxic CD8+ T Cell Responses

Abstract To effect protection against mucosal and systemic tissue colonization, the B. abortus mutant strain expressing lacZ (znBAZ) was administered mucosally into BALB/c mice, and conferred nearly complete protection against pulmonary challenge with wild-type (wt) BA 2308. In fact, it was more effective than the conventional BA RB51 or S19 vaccines. Past studies with conventional brucellosis vaccines have shown the importance of stimulating CD4+ T cells for protection; however, znBAZ-vaccinated mice produced elevated levels of effector and resident memory CD8+ T cells in the lungs. In pursuit to identify cellular mechanisms of protection, we hypothesize cytolytic activity contributes to this protection. Mucosally or intravenously vaccinated mice with znBAZ induced IFN-γ-producing CD8+ T cells, both after in vitro culture or ex vivo by intracellular staining. Granzyme B+ CD8+ T cells were also induced. To assess its function, fluorescently stained RAW264.7 macrophages were infected with znBAZ at varying ratios for 2hrs, and following antibiotic treatment, were used as targets when mixed with lymph node and splenic lymphocytes for a short exposure. Cytotoxic T cell (CTL) activity was detected subsequent to granzyme B injection into znBAZ-infected macrophages, and measured by cleavage of fluorescent substrate for granzyme B. Increased CTL activity was detected with lymphocytes from vaccinated mice compared to naïve lymphocytes. Purified CD8+ T cell fractions contained this activity. Hence, these studies demonstrate that cytolytic activity is a potential effector mechanism to rid Brucella-infected cells. Work is supported by NIH AI123244 &amp; AI125516.

Application of an O-Linked Glycosylation System in Yersinia enterocolitica Serotype O:9 to Generate a New Candidate Vaccine against Brucella abortus.

Brucellosis is a major zoonotic public health threat worldwide, causing veterinary morbidity and major economic losses in endemic regions. However, no efficacious brucellosis vaccine is yet available, and live attenuated vaccines commonly used in animals can cause human infection. N- and O-linked glycosylation systems have been successfully developed and exploited for the production of successful bioconjugate vaccines. Here, we applied an O-linked glycosylation system to a low-pathogenicity bacterium, Yersinia enterocolitica serotype O:9 (Y. enterocolitica O:9), which has repeating units of O-antigen polysaccharide (OPS) identical to that of Brucella abortus (B. abortus), to develop a bioconjugate vaccine against Brucella. The glycoprotein we produced was recognized by both anti-B. abortus and anti-Y. enterocolitica O:9 monoclonal antibodies. Three doses of bioconjugate vaccine-elicited B. abortus OPS-specific serum IgG in mice, significantly reducing bacterial loads in the spleen following infection with the B. abortus hypovirulent smooth strain A19. This candidate vaccine mitigated B. abortus infection and prevented severe tissue damage, thereby protecting against lethal challenge with A19. Overall, the results indicated that the bioconjugate vaccine elicited a strong immune response and provided significant protection against brucellosis. The described vaccine preparation strategy is safe and avoids large-scale culture of the highly pathogenic B. abortus.

Simultaneous Immunization with Omp25 and L7/L12 Provides Protection against Brucellosis in Mice.

Currently used Brucella vaccines, Brucella abortus strain 19 and RB51, comprises of live attenuated Brucella strains and prevent infection in animals. However, these vaccines pose potential risks to recipient animals such as attenuation reversal and virulence in susceptible hosts on administration. In this context, recombinant subunit vaccines emerge as a safe and competent alternative in combating the disease. In this study, we formulated a divalent recombinant vaccine consisting of Omp25 and L7/L12 of B. abortus and evaluated vaccine potential individually as well as in combination. Sera obtained from divalent vaccine (Omp25+L7/L12) immunized mice group exhibited enhanced IgG titers against both components and indicated specificity upon immunoblotting reiterating its authenticity. Further, the IgG1/IgG2a ratio obtained against each antigen predicted a predominant Th2 immune response in the Omp25+L7/L12 immunized mice group. Upon infection with virulent B. abortus 544, Omp25+L7/L12 infected mice exhibited superior Log10 protection compared to individual vaccines. Consequently, this study recommends that simultaneous immunization of Omp25 and L7/L12 as a divalent vaccine complements and triggers a Th2 mediated immune response in mice competent of providing protection against brucellosis.