Virulence determinants of Salmonella Gallinarum biovar Pullorum identified by PCR signature-tagged mutagenesis and the spiC mutant as a candidate live attenuated vaccine

Salmonella enterica Serovar Gallinarum Biovars Pullorum and Gallinarum in Poultry: Review of Pathogenesis, Antibiotic Resistance, Diagnosis and Control in the Genomic Era

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Gallinarum (SG) has two distinct biovars, Pullorum and Gallinarum. They are bacterial pathogens that exhibit host specificity for poultry and aquatic birds, causing severe systemic diseases known as fowl typhoid (FT) and Pullorum disease (PD), respectively. The virulence mechanisms of biovars Gallinarum and Pullorum are multifactorial, involving a variety of genes and pathways that contribute to their pathogenicity. In addition, these serovars have developed resistance to various antimicrobial agents, leading to the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains. Due to their economic and public health significance, rapid and accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective control and prevention of these diseases. Conventional methods, such as bacterial culture and serological tests, have been used for screening and diagnosis. However, molecular-based methods are becoming increasingly important due to their rapidity, high sensitivity, and specificity, opening new horizons for the development of innovative approaches to control FT and PD. The aim of this review is to highlight the current state of knowledge on biovars Gallinarum and Pullorum, emphasizing the importance of continued research into their pathogenesis, drug resistance and diagnosis to better understand and control these pathogens in poultry farms.

Safety of the Salmonella enterica serotype Dublin strain Sdu189-derived live attenuated vaccine—A pilot study

Salmonella enterica serovar Dublin (S. Dublin) is an important zoonotic pathogen with high invasiveness. In the prevention and control of the Salmonella epidemic, the live attenuated vaccine plays a very important role. To prevent and control the epidemic of S. Dublin in cattle farms, the development of more effective vaccines is necessary. In this study, we constructed two gene deletion mutants, Sdu189ΔspiC and Sdu189ΔspiCΔaroA, with the parental strain S. Dublin Sdu189. The immunogenicity and protective efficacy were evaluated in the mice model. First, both mutant strains were much less virulent than the parental strain, as determined by the 50% lethal dose (LD₅₀) for specific pathogen-free (SPF) 6-week-old female BALB/c mice. Second, the specific IgG antibody level and the expression level of cytokine TNF-α, IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-18 were increased significantly in the vaccinated mice compared to the control group. In addition, the deletion strains were cleared rapidly from organs of immunized mice within 14 d after immunization, while the parental strain could still be detected in the spleen and liver after 21 d of infection. Compared with the parental strain infected group, no obvious lesions were detected in the liver, spleen, and cecum of the deletion strain vaccinated groups of mice. Immunization with Sdu189ΔspiC and Sdu189ΔspiCΔaroA both provided 100% protection against subsequent challenges with the wild-type Sdu189 strain. These results demonstrated that these two deletion strains showed the potential as live attenuated vaccines against S. Dublin infection. The present study established a foundation for screening a suitable live attenuated Salmonella vaccine.

The Loss of focA Gene Increases the Ability of Salmonella Enteritidis to Exit from Macrophages and Boosts Early Extraintestinal Spread for Systemic Infection in a Mouse Model

Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) can spread from the intestines to cause systemic infection, mainly involving macrophages. Intramacrophage Salmonella exits and reinfects neighboring cells, leading to severe disease. Salmonella genes involved in exiting from macrophages are not well understood or fully identified. A focA::Tn5 mutant was identified by an in vitro assay, with increased ability to exit from macrophages. A defined SEΔfocA mutant and its complemented derivative strain, SEΔfocA::focA, were constructed to confirm this phenotype. Although the lethal ability of focA mutants was similar to that of the parental SE in mice, it was isolated earlier from the liver and spleen than the parental SE. focA mutants induced higher levels of proinflammatory IL-12 and TNF-α compared with the parental SE and SEΔfocA::focA. focA mutants showed higher cytotoxicity and lower formate concentrations than SE and SEΔfocA::focA, whereas there was no change in pyroptosis, apoptosis and flagella formation ability. These current data suggest that the focA gene plays an important role in regulating intramacrophage Salmonella exiting and extraintestinal spread in mice, although the specific mechanism requires further in-depth studies.

Screening for Virulence-Related Genes via a Transposon Mutant Library of Streptococcus suis Serotype 2 Using a Galleria mellonella Larvae Infection Model

Streptococcus suis (S. suis) is a zoonotic bacterial pathogen causing lethal infections in pigs and humans. Identification of virulence-related genes (VRGs) is of great importance in understanding the pathobiology of a bacterial pathogen. To identify novel VRGs, a transposon (Tn) mutant library of S. suis strain SC19 was constructed in this study. The insertion sites of approximately 1700 mutants were identified by Tn-seq, which involved 417 different genes. A total of 32 attenuated strains were identified from the library by using a Galleria mellonella larvae infection model, and 30 novel VRGs were discovered, including transcription regulators, transporters, hypothetical proteins, etc. An isogenic deletion mutant of hxtR gene (ΔhxtR) and its complementary strain (CΔhxtR) were constructed, and their virulence was compared with the wild-type strain in G. mellonella larvae and mice, which showed that disruption of hxtR significantly attenuated the virulence. Moreover, the ΔhxtR strain displayed a reduced survival ability in whole blood, increased sensitivity to phagocytosis, increased chain length, and growth defect. Taken together, this study performed a high throughput screening for VRGs of S. suis using a G. mellonella larvae model and further characterized a novel critical virulence factor.

Safety and protective efficacy of Salmonella Pullorum spiC and rfaH deletion rough mutant as a live attenuated DIVA vaccine candidate

Salmonella enterica serovar Pullorum (S. Pullorum) causes pullorum disease (PD), which is an acute systemic disease, in chickens, and leads to serious economic losses in many developing countries because of its high morbidity and mortality rate in young chicks. The live-attenuated vaccine is considered to be an effective measure to control the Salmonella infection. In addition, the DIVA (differentiation of infected and vaccinated animals) feature without the interference of serological monitoring of Salmonella infection is an important consideration in the development of the Salmonella vaccine. In this study, we evaluated the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a S. Pullorum rough mutant S06004ΔspiCΔrfaH as a live attenuated DIVA vaccine candidate in chickens. The S06004ΔspiCΔrfaH exhibited a significant rough lipopolysaccharides (LPS) phenotype which was agglutinated with the acriflavine, not with the O₉ mono antibody. Compared to the wild-type, 50% lethal dose (LD₅₀) of the rough mutant increased 100-fold confirmed its attenuation. The mutant strain also showed a decreased bacterial colonization in the spleen and liver. The immunization with the mutant strain had no effect on the body weight and no tissue lesions were observed in the liver and spleen. The high level of the S. Pullorum-specific IgG titers in the serum indicated that significant humoral immune responses were induced in the immunization group. The cellular immune responses were also elicited from the analysis of lymphocyte proliferation and expression of cytokines in the spleen. In addition, the S06004ΔspiCΔrfaH immunized group exhibited a negative response for the serological test, while the wild-type S06004 infection group was strongly positive for the serological test showing a DIVA capability. The survival rates in the vaccinated chickens were 87% after intramuscular challenge with wild-type S. Pullorum, while the survival rates were 20% in the control groups. Overall, these results have demonstrated that the rough mutant S06004ΔspiCΔrfaH strain can be developed as an efficient live attenuated DIVA vaccine candidate to control the systemic S. Pullorum infection without the interference of salmonellosis monitoring program in poultry.

Evaluation of Safety and Protective Efficacy of a waaJ and spiC Double Deletion Korean Epidemic Strain of Salmonella enterica Serovar Gallinarum

With an aim to develop a highly attenuated and strongly immunogenic distinguishable vaccine candidate, a waaJ (a gene involved in the synthesis of lipopolysaccharide) and spiC (a virulence gene) double deletion Korean epidemic strain of S. enterica ser. Gallinarum (SG005) was constructed. Our results showed that the growth and biochemical characteristics were not altered by this double deletion. The double deletion strain contained dual markers. One was a bacteriological marker (rough phenotype) and the other was a serological marker helping distinguish infected chickens from vaccinated chickens. The double deletion strain showed good genetic stability and reduced resistance to environmental stresses in vitro; furthermore, it was extremely safe and highly avirulent in broilers. Single intramuscular or oral immunization of 7-day-old broilers with the double deletion strain could stimulate the body to produce antibody levels similar to the conventional vaccine strain SG9R. In addition, against a lethal wild-type challenge, it conferred effective protection that was comparable to that seen in the group vaccinated with SG9R. In conclusion, this double deletion strain may be an effective vaccine candidate for controlling S. enterica ser. Gallinarum infection in broilers.

Research Note: Hypervirulent arthritis-causing Salmonella Pullorum isolated from Chinese native chicken breeds significantly decreased growth performance of chicks

Pullorum disease is characterized by white diarrhea resulting from infection by S. Pullorum, but arthritis associated with S. Pullorum infection has become increasingly frequent recently, especially in Chinese native chicken flocks. In this study, we isolated and identified 4 S. Pullorum strains from the Qingjiaoma chicken breeders with arthritis symptoms. The LD₅₀ of the isolate 20JS04 was 1.33 × 10⁶ CFU, which was considered as a highly virulent strain in chicks. Reproducible arthritis symptoms were observed in the experimentally chickens infected with the isolate 20JS04, and the disease occurrence was 27.78% (5/18). In addition to the characteristics of high virulence and induced-arthritis, our results confirmed that the arthritis-causing isolate 20JS04 had greater negative impact on BW, ADFI, and ADG, compared with the white diarrhea-causing S. Pullorum standard strain CVCC526 (P < 0.05). These results suggest that the pathogenic diversity of S. Pullorum in China deserves more attention and stringent measures should be taken to control salmonellosis.

Salmonella Pullorum lacking srfA is attenuated, immunogenic and protective in chickens

Sallmonella Pullorum is a host-restricted pathogen for poultry and causes severe economic importance in many developing countries. The development of novel vaccines for Salmonella Pullorum is necessary to eradicate the prevalence of the pathogen. In our study, a srfA deletion mutant (C79-13ΔsrfA) of Salmonella Pullorum was constructed, and then the biological characteristics and protective efficacy of the mutant were evaluated. The mutant C79-13ΔsrfA was much less virulent than its parental strain C79-13 in one-day-old HY-line white chickens, immunization with C79-13ΔsrfA (4 × 10⁷ CFU) through oral pathway induced highly specific humoral and cellular immune responses, the growth performance of vaccinated chickens was consistent with that of unvaccinated chickens. The survival percentages of vaccinated chickens reached 90% and 80%, after challenge with Salmonella Pullorum strain C79-13 and Salmonella Gallinarum strain SG9 at 10 days post-immunization (dpi), respectively. Collectively, our results indicate that C79-13ΔsrfA is a live attenuated vaccine candidate.

Effects of a probiotic-fermented herbal blend on the growth performance, intestinal flora and immune function of chicks infected with Salmonella pullorum

Salmonella pullorum is a highly pathogenic bacteria in poultry industry. However, antibiotics were restricted in many countries because of the increasing risk of antibiotic resistance, Therefore, an environmental friendly and effective alternative strives to be developed. This study investigated the benefit of a probiotic-fermented herbal blend on the growth performance and gut microbiota of newborn broilers infected with S. pullorum. A total of 120 one-day-old dwarf male chicks were randomly allotted to 4 treatment groups, each including 5 replicates of 6 chicks: negative control (NC), positive control (PC), herbal blend (HB), and probiotic-fermented herbal blend (PF). All birds (n = 90), except for those in the NC, were infected with S. pullorum (1.69 × 108 CFU) on day 1. On day 11, body weight (BW), mortality, tissue pathology, cecal colony counts, immune organ indices, cecal mucosa secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) concentrations, and cecal cytokine mRNA expression levels were investigated. No mortality was observed after the PF treatment, and less pathological condition was in the ileum, cecum, and liver of HB and PF. BW, average daily gain and average daily feed intake were significant higher in the HB group compared to the PC and were the highest in the PF (P < 0.05). HB treatment significantly increased cecal populations of Lactobacilli, and decreased cecal populations of Escherichia coli and Salmonella, but results were more pronounced in the PF group (P < 0.05). Both HB and PF treatments increased cecal mucosa sIgA compared with the PC (P < 0.05). Tumor necrosis factor alpha and interferon gamma were lowest (P < 0.05) and interleukin 4 was the highest (P < 0.05) in PF, which exhibited similar levels to the NC group. PF treatment significantly improved the development of the thymus and bursa in S. pullorum-infected chicks. In conclusion, PF treatment prevented death, improved growth performance, regulated intestinal flora and enhanced immune ability of in S. pullorum-infected with chicks.

Salmonella Pullorum spiC mutant is a desirable LASV candidate with proper virulence, high immune protection and easy-to-use oral administration

Live attenuated Salmonellavaccine (LASV) is considered to be an effective contributory measure during the control of Salmonella infection. A Salmonella Pullorum spiC mutant was evaluated comprehensively as a LASV candidate (LASV-p) for broilers in terms of safety and immunogenicity. LASV-p was adminstered to 3-day broilers by intramuscular injection. The LD₅₀ increased 126 fold, and no tissue lesions were observed in the liver, spleen and cecum, in comparison with the control group inoculated with PBS and a passive group by wild-type Salmonella. Growth rates of all broilers were normal and not affected. LASV-p persisted in vivo until 21 days in liver, 28 days in spleen and 35 days in feces, and induced high levels of humoral IgG and mucosal IgA. Cellular immunity was also stimulated in the form of antigen-specific lymphocyte proliferation and higher counts of CD3⁺CD8⁺ T cells and increased expression of mRNA of Th1 cytokines, IFN-γ and IL-2, in the early stage, and Th2 cytokines, IL-4 and IL-10, in the later stages. LASV-p provided at least 90% immuneprotection against a wild-type Salmonella Pullorum and cross-protection in different degree against other Salmonella searovars. Oral vaccine could also offer high immune protection of 87.5%. These results indicated that LASV-p vaccine candidate had a high level of safety and immune protection and it might be developed as a novel easy-to-use oral vaccine to improve poultry health in the future.

WbaP is required for swarm motility and intramacrophage multiplication of Salmonella Enteritidis spiC mutant by glucose use ability

Salmonella spp. can survive and replicate in macrophage cells to cause persistent infection, SpiC is a necessary T3SS effector, but its pathogenic mechanism is still not known completely. In our study, Salmonella Enteritidis spiC mutant (SEΔspiC) was found to have stronger swarming motility and intramacrophage hyperproliferation which was closely related to glucose metabolism. SEΔspiC wbaP::Tn5 mutant was screened out by transposon mutagenesis, which had weaker swarming motility and intramacrophage replication ability than SEΔspiC in the presence of glucose. Bioinformatics displayed that undecaprenyl-phosphate galactose phosphotransferase (Wbap), encoded by wbaP gene, was a key enzyme for glucose metabolism and Lipopolysaccharide(LPS) synthesis, which confirmed our outcome that Wbap was involved in intramacrophage replication ability by glucose use in addition to swarming motility based on SEΔspiC. This discovery will further promote the understanding of the interaction between wbaP gene and spiC gene and the intracellular Salmonella replication mechanism.

Epidemiological Investigation and Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Salmonella Isolated From Breeder Chicken Hatcheries in Henan, China

The emergence of antimicrobial-resistant (AR) Salmonella has a major concern worldwide. This study was designed to determine the AR profiles and serovars distribution of Salmonella enterica isolated from different breeds of breeder chickens in the province of Henan, China. For this, 2,139 dead embryo samples were collected from 28 breeder chicken hatcheries, representing two domestic and four foreign breeds. The samples were subjected to the isolation and identification of Salmonella by PCR. The confirmed strains were serotyped according to the Kauffmann-White scheme and their AR profiles against 20 antimicrobial agents were determined by Kirby-Bauer (K-B) disc diffusion method. The results of this study showed the prevalence of Salmonella in 504 strains (23.56%) with a high abundance in southern regions of Yellow River (28.66%, n = 495, N = 1,727) compared to the northern regions (2.18%, n = 9, N = 412) (p < 0.0001). The domestic breeds were more contaminated than imported breeds (p < 0.0001). However, the contamination rate of samples recovered from M-hatcheries was the highest (p < 0.0001). Serotyping method identified 12 serovars, with the dominance of S. Pullorum (75.79%), followed by S. Enteritidis (7.14%). The AR assay showed high resistant to ciprofloxacin (77.00%), sulfisoxazole (73.00%), and ampicillin (55.60%), as well as 98.81% (n = 498) of the isolated strains, were resistant to at least one antimicrobial and 69.64% (n = 351) were resistant to three or more antimicrobials. Among them, one strain of S. Thompson was resistant to 15 antimicrobial agents belonging to eight different classes. In conclusion, Salmonella strains isolated in this study were multidrug-resistant (MDR), presenting a serious problem for human and animal health. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor, control, and rationalize the use of antimicrobials agents in chicken farms in order to limit the increasing resistance against the recent antimicrobial agents.

Molecular characterisation, expression and functional feature of TRAF6 in the King pigeon (Columba livia)

TNF receptor-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) is a signal transducer, which plays a pivotal role in triggering a variety of signalling cascades. Here, we cloned and identified the TRAF6 gene from the King pigeon. The open reading frame sequence of pigeon TRAF6 (piTRAF6) is 1638 bp long and encodes a 545 aa protein, including a low-complexity domain, RING finger, Zinc finger, coiled coil domain, and meprin and TRAF homology domain. The aa sequence of piTRAF6 shared a strong identity with that of other birds. PiTRAF6 transcripts were broadly expressed in all the tested tissues; piTRAF6 levels were the highest and lowest in the heart and stomach, respectively. Overexpression of piTRAF6 activated NF-κB in a dose-dependent manner and induced IFN-β expression. Upon piTRAF6 knockdown by small interfering RNAs, NF-κB activation was markedly inhibited in HEK293T cells. The expression of piTRAF6, as well as pro-inflammatory cytokines and antiviral molecules, were obviously increased after TLR ligand stimulation and Newcastle disease virus or Salmonella Pullorum inoculation. These results suggest that piTRAF6 may play a key immunoregulatory role in the innate immune response against viral and bacterial infections.

Evaluation of the Safety and Protection Efficacy of spiC and nmpC or rfaL Deletion Mutants of Salmonella Enteritidis as Live Vaccine Candidates for Poultry Non-Typhoidal Salmonellosis

Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) is a host-ranged pathogen that can infect both animals and humans. Poultry and poultry products are the main carriers of S. Enteritidis, which can be transmitted to humans through the food chain. To eradicate the prevalence of S. Enteritidis in poultry farms, it is necessary to develop novel vaccines against the pathogen. In this study, we constructed two vaccine candidates, CZ14-1∆spiC∆nmpC and CZ14-1∆spiC∆rfaL, and evaluated their protective efficacy. Both mutant strains were much less virulent than the parental strain, as determined by the 50% lethal dose (LD50) for three-day-old specific-pathogen free (SPF) White Leghorns and Hyline White chickens. Immunization with the mutant candidates induced highly specific humoral immune responses and expression of cytokines IFN-γ, IL-1β, and IL-6. In addition, the mutant strains were found to be persistent for almost three weeks post-infection. The survival percentages of chickens immunized with CZ14-1∆spiC∆nmpC and CZ14-1∆spiC∆rfaL reached 80% and 75%, respectively, after challenge with the parental strain. Overall, these results demonstrate that the two mutant strains can be developed as live attenuated vaccines.

Immunogenic potential and protective efficacy of a sptP deletion mutant of Salmonella Enteritidis as a live vaccine for chickens against a lethal challenge

Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) is a highly adapted pathogen causing severe economic losses in the poultry industry worldwide. Chickens infected by SE are a major source of human food poisoning. Vaccination is an effective approach to control SE infections. This study evaluated the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a SE sptP deletion mutant (C50336ΔsptP) as a live attenuated vaccine (LAV) candidate in chickens. 14 day-old specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens were intramuscularly immunized with various doses of C50336ΔsptP. Several groups of chickens were challenged with the virulent wild-type SE strain Z-11 via the same route at 14 days post vaccination. Compared to the control group, the groups vaccinated with 1 × 10⁶, 1 × 10⁷ and 1 × 10⁸ colony-forming units (CFU) of C50336ΔsptP exhibited no clinical symptoms after immunization. Only slight pathological changes occurred in the organs of the 1 × 10⁹ CFU vaccinated group. C50336ΔsptP bacteria were cleared from the organs of immunized chickens within 14 days after vaccination. Lymphocyte proliferation and serum cytokine analyses indicated that significant cellular immune responses were induced after the vaccination of C50336ΔsptP. Compared to the control group, specific IgG antibody levels increased significantly in vaccinated chickens, and the levels increased markedly after the challenge. The 1 × 10⁷, 1 × 10⁸, and 1 × 10⁹ CFU vaccinated chickens groups showed no clinical symptoms or pathological changes, and no death after the lethal challenge. Whereas severe clinical signs of disease and pathological changes were observed in the control group chickens after the challenge. These results suggest that a single dose of C50336ΔsptP could be an effective LAV candidate to against SE infection in chickens.

Controversy Surrounding the Function of SpiC Protein in Salmonella: An Overview

Salmonella is an important pathogenic microorganism that can infect humans and animals and has been studied globally as a model microorganism for its pathogenesis. The SpiC protein of T3SS2 is a significant factor that has been studied for almost 20 years, but to date, the function/effect of SpiC in the pathogenesis of Salmonella has not been completely understood. There is controversy over the functions of SpiC protein in the literature. Thus, an overview of the literature on SpiC protein is provided here which highlights expression features of SpiC protein and its various functions and effect.

Induction of arthritis in chickens by infection with novel virulent Salmonella Pullorum strains

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Gallinarum biovar Pullorum (Salmonella Pullorum) is a host-specific serovar causing systemic infection with high mortality in young chicks. Pullorum disease is characterized by white diarrhea. However, arthritis has become increasingly frequent recently, particularly in southern China. The aim of the present study was to determine the pathogenesis and arthritis induction of new Salmonella Pullorum isolates. We isolated and identified five Salmonella Pullorum strains from broilers with bacterial arthritis and lameness in a commercial poultry farm. Four of five isolates were resistant to at least three classes of antibiotics and were defined as multidrug-resistant Salmonella Pullorum. All isolates had the same CRISPR sequence type and belonged to a single major cluster. The isolates exhibited high capability of biofilm formation, which may facilitate their dispersal and survival in hostile habitats, and showed high virulence based on embryo lethality and inoculation of newly hatched chicks. Tissue distribution analysis confirmed that SP1621 was more adapted to colonize the joint when compared to the white diarrhoea-causing Salmonella Pullorum reference strain S06004. Reproducible arthritis and typical joint lesions were observed in SP1621-infected chicks, and histopathological examination showed necrotic synovitis and cartilage tissue hyperplasia of the joint. Koch's postulates were confirmed when the novel Salmonella Pullorum strain was re-isolated from the joint tissues of experimentally inoculated chicks. These novel Salmonella Pullorum isolates have unique ability to induce arthritis in chickens, representing expanded pathogenic diversity in China. These results suggest the need for strict control strategies and new vaccines to prevent the disease.

Signature-tagged mutagenesis screening revealed the role of lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis gene rfbH in smooth-to-rough transition in Salmonella Enteritidis

Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis, SE) is a major cause of foodborne diseases for humans. The completeness of the O-chain antigen of Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) determines whether a S. Enteritidis strain is smooth or rough. However, genes that are involved in the synthesis of LPS and rough-smooth variation are not completely understood. In this study, we used monoclonal antibody against O-antigens (O₉ mAb) to identify novel factors that are involved in LPS synthesis and rough variation in S. Enteritidis by using signature-tagged mutagenesis (STM) technique. Our results showed that transposon insertion in the gene rfbH led to different LPS phenotype, auto-aggregation characteristic, motility and resistance to environmental stress compared with SE wild-type strain C50041. In addition, sera tests showed that rfbH mutant does not elicit specific antibodies against O-antigens in vaccinated animals. Taken together, the S. Enteritidis rfbH gene is implicated in LPS biosynthesis, rough variation, sera distinguishable reaction, motility and stress resistance. The rfbH mutant strain could be potentially used as a distinguishable vaccine or a live vector to deliver drugs and antibodies in vivo.

Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a Salmonella Enteritidis sptP mutant as a live attenuated vaccine candidate

Background

Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) is a highly adaptive pathogen in both humans and animals. As a Salmonella Type III secretion system (T3SS) effector, Salmonella protein tyrosine phosphatase (SptP) is critical for virulence in this genus. To investigate the feasibility of using C50336ΔsptP as a live attenuated oral vaccine in mice, we generated the sptP gene deletion mutant C50336ΔsptP in S. Enteritidis strain C50336 by λ-Red mediated recombination and evaluated the protective ability of the S. Enteritidis sptP mutant strain C50336ΔsptP against mice salmonellosis.

Results

We found that C50336ΔsptP was a highly immunogenic, effective, and safe vaccine in mice. Compared to wild-type C50336, C50336ΔsptP showed reduced virulence as confirmed by the 50% lethal dose (LD₅₀) in orally infected mice. C50336ΔsptP also showed decreased bacterial colonization both in vivo and in vitro. Immunization with C50336ΔsptP had no significant effect on body weight and did not result in obvious clinical symptoms relative to control animals treated with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), but induced humoral and cellular immune responses at 12 and 26 days post inoculation. Immunization with 1 × 10⁸ colony-forming units (CFU) C50336ΔsptP per mouse provided 100% protection against subsequent challenge with the wild-type C50336 strain, and immunized mice showed mild and temporary clinical symptoms as compared to those of control group.

Conclusions

These results demonstrate that C50336ΔsptP can be a live attenuated oral vaccine for salmonellosis.

Safety, Protective Immunity, and DIVA Capability of a Rough Mutant Salmonella Pullorum Vaccine Candidate in Broilers

Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Gallinarum biovar Pullorum (Salmonella Pullorum) is highly adapted to chickens causing an acute systemic disease that results in high mortality. Vaccination represents one approach for promoting animal health, food safety and reducing environmental persistence in Salmonella control. An important consideration is that Salmonella vaccination in poultry should not interfere with the salmonellosis monitoring program. This is the basis of the DIVA (Differentiation of Infected and Vaccinated Animals) program. In order to achieve this goal, waaL mutant was developed on a spiC mutant that was developed previously. The safety, efficacy, and DIVA features of this vaccine candidate (Salmonella Pullorum ΔspiCΔwaaL) were evaluated in broilers. Our results show that the truncated LPS in the vaccine strain has a differentiating use as both a bacteriological marker (rough phenotype) and also as a serological marker facilitating the differentiation between infected and vaccinated chickens. The rough mutant showed adequate safety being avirulent in the host chicks and showed increased sensitivity to environmental stresses. Single intramuscular immunization of day-old broiler chicks with the mutant confers ideal protection against lethal wild type challenge by significantly stimulating both humoral and cellular immune responses as well as reducing the colonization of the challenge strain. Significantly lower mean pathology scores were observed in the vaccination group compared to the control group. Additionally, the mutant strain generated cross-protection against challenge with the wild type Salmonella Gallinarum thereby improving survival and with the wild type Salmonella Enteritidis thereby reducing colonization. These results suggest that the double-mutant strain may be a safe, effective, and cross-protective vaccine against Salmonella infection in chicks while conforming to the requirements of the DIVA program.

Signature-tagged mutagenesis screening revealed a novel smooth-to-rough transition determinant of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis

Background

Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (S. Enteritidis) has emerged as one of the most important food-borne pathogens for humans. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), as a component of the outer membrane, is responsible for the virulence and smooth-to-rough transition in S. Enteritidis. In this study, we screened S. Enteritidis signature-tagged transposon mutant library using monoclonal antibody against somatic O₉ antigen (O₉ MAb) and O₉ factor rabbit antiserum to identify novel genes that are involved in smooth-to-rough transition.

Results

A total of 480 mutants were screened and one mutant with transposon insertion in rfbG gene had smooth-to-rough transition phenotype. In order to verify the role of rfbG gene, an rfbG insertion or deletion mutant was constructed using λ-Red recombination system. Phenotypic and biological analysis revealed that rfbG insertion or deletion mutants were similar to the wild-type strain in growth rate and biochemical properties, but the swimming motility was reduced. SE Slide Agglutination test and ELISA test showed that rfbG mutants do not stimulate animals to produce agglutinating antibody. In addition, the half-lethal dose (LD₅₀) of the rfbG deletion mutant strain was 10^6.6 -fold higher than that of the parent strain in a mouse model when injected intraperitoneally.

Conclusions

These data indicate that the rfbG gene is involved in smooth-to-rough transition, swimming motility and virulence of S. Enteritidis. Furthermore, somatic O-antigen antibody-based approach to screen signature-tagged transposon mutants is feasible to clarify LPS biosynthesis and to find suitable markers in DIVA-vaccine research.

Identification by PCR signature-tagged mutagenesis of attenuated Salmonella Pullorum mutants and corresponding genes in a chicken embryo model

A key feature of the fowl-specific pathogen Salmonella Pullorum is its vertical transmission to progeny via the egg. In this study, PCR signature-tagged mutagenesis identified nine genes of a strain of S. Pullorum that contributed to survival in the chicken embryo during incubation. The genes were involved in invasion, cell division, metabolism and bacterial defence. The competition index in vivo and in vitro together with a virulence evaluation for chicken embryos of all nine mutant strains confirmed their attenuation.

Influence of Salmonella enterica serovar Pullorum pathogenicity island 2 on type III secretion system effector gene expression in chicken macrophage HD11 cells

Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 (SPI2) can encode type III secretion system 2 (T3SS2) which plays an important role in systemic disease development through delivering different effector proteins into host cells. Here, the influence of Salmonella Pullorum pathogenicity island 2 on T3SS2 effector gene expression was studied using qRT-PCR in chicken macrophage HD11 cells. Our results showed that all the detected genes (including pseudogenes sifB, sspH2 and steC) can express in HD11 cells of S. Pullorum infection; deletion of SPI2 of S. Pullorum did not significantly affect the expression of genes cigR, gtgA, slrP, sopD, sseK1, steB and steC, but had a significant effect on the expression of genes pipB2, sifB, sopD2, sseJ, sseL, sspH2, steD, sifA, pipB and steA at different degrees. These results suggest that SPI2 can significantly affect the expression of some T3SS2 effector genes. Some effectors may have secretion pathways other than T3SS2 and pseudogenes may play roles in the process of S. Pullorum infection.

Preparation of Monoclonal Antibodies Against SpiC Protein Secreted by T3SS-2 of Salmonella spp

SpiC protein, a member of Salmonella spp. type III secretion system (T3SS)-2, is necessary for the survival of Salmonella within macrophages, and it plays a vital role in Salmonella pathogenesis. To develop and test monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against SpiC protein, two recombinant proteins, rHis-SpiC and rGST-SpiC, were expressed in vitro in the prokaryotic expression vectors pET-30(a) and pGEX-6p-1, respectively, and rHis-SpiC protein used to immunize mice. Hybridomas were generated from the splenocytes of these mice and the monoclonal antibodies produced by these cells were assessed using indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with rGST-SpiC as the coating antigen. An immunoblotting analysis indicated that all seven of the MAbs developed in this study could specifically recognize the SpiC protein. These MAbs will be very useful in the study of SpiC function and for use in the immunodiagnosis of Salmonella infection.

Safety and protective efficacy of a spiC and crp deletion mutant of Salmonella gallinarum as a live attenuated vaccine for fowl typhoid

With an aim to develop a safe, immunogenic fowl typhoid (FT) vaccine, the safety and efficacy of 1009ΔspiCΔcrp, a spiC and crp deletion mutant of Salmonella gallinarum, were evaluated in chickens. Three-day-old chickens were intramuscularly immunized with 1009ΔspiCΔcrp (1×10(7)CFU) and boosted 7days later (at 10-days old) with the same dose and via the same route (vaccinated group). The vaccinated group showed no clinical symptoms and no differences in body weight compared to the unvaccinated control group. 1009ΔspiCΔcrp bacteria colonized and persisted in the liver and spleen of vaccinated chickens for >14days, and significant specific humoral and cellular immune responses were induced. Vaccinated chickens were challenged with S. gallinarum strain SG9 at 21days post-immunization (24-day-old chickens), and efficient protection was observed based on the mortality and clinical symptoms, as compared to those in the control group. These results demonstrate that 1009ΔspiCΔcrp can be used as a live attenuated vaccine.

Evaluation of protective efficacy of a novel inactivated Salmonella Pullorum ghost vaccine against virulent challenge in chickens

Salmonella Gallinarum biovar Pullorum is the causative agent of pullorum disease in poultry, an acute systemic disease that results in a high mortality rate in young chickens. Vaccines have been considered in many developing countries where levels of infection are high and eradication is not a realistic option. An attenuated strain combined with protein E-mediated cell lysis was used to generate a safety enhanced Salmonella Pullorum ghost vaccine. Immune responses and protection induced by ghost vaccine in chickens were investigated following a prime-boost immunization administered via intramuscular and oral routes. Chickens from vaccinated groups showed significant increases in antigen-specific IgG, especially after booster immunization. Lymphocyte proliferation responses were also significantly increased in all immunized groups at 2-weeks post-final vaccination. The Salmonella Pullorum ghost vaccine provided satisfactory protection against virulent Salmonella Pullorum infection, as shown by the robust stimulation of both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses as well as the reduction in the number of bacterial recovered post-challenge. Moreover, the immune effects and survival rates indicated intramuscular injection is more efficient than oral vaccination. In conclusion, our results suggest that Salmonella Pullorum ghosts may be used as a safe and effective novel inactivated vaccine candidate to protect against virulent Salmonella Pullorum infection.

High-Efficiency, Two-Step Scarless-Markerless Genome Genetic Modification in Salmonella enterica

We present a two-step method for scarless–markerless genome genetic modification in Salmonella enterica based on the improved suicide plasmid pGMB152. The whole LacZYA gene can provide a lacZ-based blue/white screening strategy for fast selection of double-crossover mutants by allelic exchange. The high efficiency of this genetic engineering strategy permits the study of gene function by gene knockin, site-directed mutagenesis, and gene knockout to construct live attenuated vaccines.

Immunogenicity and protective efficacy of Salmonella enterica serovar Pullorum pathogenicity island 2 mutant as a live attenuated vaccine candidate

Background

Salmonella enterica serovar Pullorum (S. Pullorum) causes Pullorum disease (PD), a severe systemic disease of poultry and results in considerable economic losses in developing countries. In order to develop a safe and immunogenic vaccine, the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of S06004ΔSPI2, a Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 (SPI2) deleted mutant of S. Pullorum was evaluated in 2-day old chickens.

Results

Single intramuscular vaccination with S06004ΔSPI2 (2 × 10⁷ CFU) of chickens revealed no differences in body weight or clinical symptoms compared to control group. S06004ΔSPI2 bacteria can colonize and persistent in liver and spleen of vaccinated chickens approximately 14 days, and specific humoral and cellular immune responses were significantly induced. Vaccination of chickens offered efficient protection against S. Pullorum strain S06004 and S. Gallinarum strain SG9 challenge, respectively, at 10 days post vaccination (dpv) based on mortality and clinical symptoms compared to control group.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that S06004ΔSPI2 appears to be a highly immunogenic and efficient live attenuated vaccine candidate.

Evaluation of the Salmonella enterica Serovar Pullorum Pathogenicity Island 2 Mutant as a Candidate Live Attenuated Oral Vaccine

Salmonella enterica serovar Pullorum (S. Pullorum) is a highly adapted pathogen that causes pullorum disease (PD), an important systemic disease of poultry that causes severe economic losses in developing countries. In the interests of developing a safe and immunogenic oral vaccine, the efficacy of a Salmonella pathogenicity island 2 (SPI2)-deleted mutant of S. Pullorum (S06004ΔSPI2) was evaluated in chickens. S06004ΔSPI2 was severely less virulent than the parental wild-type strain S06004 as determined by the 50% lethal dose (LD50) for 3-day-old chickens when injected intramuscularly. Two-day-old chickens immunized with a single oral dose of S06004ΔSPI2 showed no differences in body weight or clinical symptoms compared with those in the negative-control group. S06004ΔSPI2 bacteria were not isolated from livers or spleens of immunized chickens after a short period of time, and specific humoral and cellular immune responses were significantly induced. Immunized chickens were challenged with S. Pullorum strain S06004 and Salmonella enterica serovar Gallinarum (S. Gallinarum) strain SG9 at 10 days postimmunization (dpi), and efficient protection against the challenges was observed. None of the immunized chickens died, the clinical symptoms were slight and temporary following challenge in immunized chickens compared with those in the control group, and these chickens recovered by 3 to 5 dpi. Overall, these results demonstrate that S06004ΔSPI2 can be used as a live attenuated oral vaccine.