Restricted B-cell responses to microbial challenge of the respiratory tract

Mucosal and systemic immune responses induced by intranasal immunization of recombinant Bacillus subtilis expressing the P97R1, P46 antigens of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyopneumoniae) is the pathogen of swine enzootic pneumonia, a chronic respiratory disease affecting pigs of all ages. The ciliated epithelial cells of the respiratory tract are the main target invaded and colonized by M. hyopneumoniae. Therefore, the ideal vaccine would be mucosally administered and able to stimulate suitable mucosal immunity and prevent the adherence of pathogens to mucosal cell surfaces. Currently, Bacillus subtilis as a recombinant vaccine carrier has been used for antigen delivery and proved to be effectively enhancing the innate immunity of nasal mucosa. Here, our study attempts to construct recombinant Bacillus subtilis (B.S-P97R1, B.S-P46), which can express the P97R1 or P46 antigen of M. hyopneumoniae, and to evaluate the immune responses in BALB/c mice. Initially, we respectively successfully constructed recombinant B.S-P97R1, B.S-P46 and validated the expression of antigen proteins by Western analysis. Then, recombinant B.S-P97R1 or B.S-P46 were respectively intranasally (i.n.) immunized in mice. Both strong P97R1-specific and P46-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG), secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) antibodies were induced in sera, bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALs) by ELISA analysis. Moreover, the levels of specific IL-4, IFN-γ in the immunized mice were elevated, and the proliferation of lymphocytes was also enhanced. In general, intranasal inoculation of recombinant B.S-P97R1 or B.S-P46 resulted in strong mucosal immunity, cell-mediated and humoral immunity, which was a mixed Th1/Th2-type response. In addition, our results provided a potential novel strategy that may be applied to the development of vaccines against M. hyopneumoniae.

Potential use of local and systemic humoral immune response parameters to forecast Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae associated lung lesions

Immunopathological events are key for the development of enzootic pneumonia (EP), which is macroscopically observed as cranioventral pulmonary consolidation (CVPC). This study aimed to investigate the putative association between the humoral immune response against Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyopneumoniae) and prevalence and extension of CVPC in 1) experimentally infected pigs, 2) slaughtered pigs and 3) sequentially necropsied pigs in a longitudinal study. CVPC was scored by means of the European Pharmacopoeia recommended methodology. Specific IgG, IgG1 and IgG2 antibodies were assessed in serum. In addition, mucosal IgG and IgA antibodies were analyzed in broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from experimentally challenged pigs. The systemic humoral immune response in experimentally infected pigs was delayed in onset whereas humoral respiratory mucosal immune response appeared more rapidly but declined earlier. Although low, BALF IgG antibodies showed the highest correlation with CVPC scores (r = 0.49, p<0.05). In slaughter-aged pigs, both percentage of lungs with CVPC and mean lung lesion score were significantly higher in M. hyopneumoniae seropositive farms compared to the seronegative ones (p<0.001). Similarly, seropositive sequentially necropsied pigs showed more severe CVPC than seronegative ones. Overall, mean serological values might help to forecast prevalence and severity of EP-like lung lesions using a population based approach. Remarkably, the specific systemic humoral immune response was found to be predominated by the IgG2 subclass, suggesting a dominant Th1-mediated immune response to M. hyopneumoniae.

L-plastin is essential for alveolar macrophage production and control of pulmonary pneumococcal infection

We report that mice deficient for the hematopoietic-specific, actin-bundling protein L-plastin (LPL) succumb rapidly to intratracheal pneumococcal infection. The increased susceptibility of LPL(-/-) mice to pulmonary pneumococcal challenge correlated with reduced numbers of alveolar macrophages, consistent with a critical role for this cell type in the immediate response to pneumococcal infection. LPL(-/-) mice demonstrated a very early clearance defect, with an almost 10-fold-higher bacterial burden in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid 3 h following infection. Clearance of pneumococci from the alveolar space in LPL(-/-) mice was defective compared to that in Rag1(-/-) mice, which lack all B and T lymphocytes, indicating that innate immunity is defective in LPL(-/-) mice. We did not identify defects in neutrophil or monocyte recruitment or in the production of inflammatory cytokines or chemokines that would explain the early clearance defect. However, efficient alveolar macrophage regeneration following irradiation required LPL. We thus identify LPL as being key to alveolar macrophage development and essential to an effective antipneumococcal response. Further analysis of LPL(-/-) mice will illuminate critical regulators of the generation of alveolar macrophages and, thus, effective pulmonary innate immunity.

Novel immunomic technologies for schistosome vaccine development

Schistosomiasis remains one of the most common human helminthiases, despite the availability of an effective drug against the causative parasites. Drug treatment programmes have several limitations, and it is likely that a vaccine is required for effective control. While decades of vaccine development have seen the discovery and testing of several candidate antigens, none have shown consistent and acceptable high levels of protection. The migrating larval stages are susceptible to immunity, however few larval-specific antigens have been discovered. Therefore, there is a need to identify novel larval-specific antigens, which may prove to be more efficacious than existing targets. Immunomics, a relatively new field developed to cope with the recent large influx of biological information, holds promise for the discovery of vaccine targets, and this review highlights some immunomic approaches to schistosome vaccine development. Firstly, a method to focus on the immune response elicited by the important and vulnerable larval stage is described, which allows a targeted study of the immunome at different tissue sites. Then, two high-throughput arrays are discussed for the identification of protein and carbohydrate antigens. It is anticipated that these approaches will progress vaccine development against the schistosomes, as well as other parasites.

Immune responses induced by replication-defective adenovirus expressing the C-terminal portion of the Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae P97 adhesin

Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, the causative agent of porcine enzootic pneumonia, colonizes the respiratory cilia of affected swine, causing significant economic losses to swine production worldwide. Vaccination is the most cost-effective strategy for the control and prevention of this disease. The goal of this study was to design and evaluate a replication-defective recombinant adenovirus, rAdP97c, expressing the C-terminal portion of P97 adhesin (P97c), an important pathogenesis-associated protein of M. hyopneumoniae, as a new vaccine candidate against M. hyopneumoniae infection. P97c-specific immune responses were evaluated in BALB/c mice following intranasal and intramuscular inoculation with rAdP97c. Mice inoculated by both routes of immunization produced significant levels of specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in the serum and in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids (BALs). Animals immunized intranasally also produced a significant level of P97c-specific IgA in BALs. Intramuscular inoculation of rAdP97c induced a systemic and mucosal Th1-type biased response, evidenced by the predominance of IgG2a in the serum and BALs, whereas intranasal inoculation resulted in a mixed Th1/Th2-type response (balanced levels of IgG1 and IgG2a) in both sytemic and mucosal compartments. P97c-specific antibodies were able to inhibit the growth of M. hyopneumoniae cells in vitro. These data suggest that rAdP97c vaccine may represent a new strategy for controlling infection by M. hyopneumoniae.

A morphologic and immunohistochemical study of the bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue of pigs naturally infected with Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae

Porcine enzootic pneumonia (PEN), caused by Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (Mh), has been described in pigs in all geographic areas. The disease is characterized by high morbidity and low mortality rates in intensive swine production systems. A morphologic and immunohistochemical study was done to determine the cellular populations present in lung parenchyma of infected pigs, with special attention to the bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT). Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies were used for the detection of antigens of Mh, T lymphocytes (CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+), IgG+ or IgA+ lymphocytes, and cells containing lysozyme, S-100 protein, major histocompatibility complex class II antigen or myeloid-histiocyte antigen. Findings in lung tissues associated with Mh infection were catarrhal bronchointerstitial pneumonia, with infiltration of inflammatory cells in the lamina propria of bronchi and bronchioles and alveolar septa. Hyperplasia of mononuclear cells in the BALT areas was the most significant histologic change. The BALT showed a high morphologic and cellular organization. Macrophages and B lymphocytes were the main cellular components of germinal centers. T lymphocytes were primarily located in perifollicular areas of the BALT, lamina propria and within the airway epithelium, and plasma cells containing IgG or IgA at the periphery of the BALT, in the lamina propria of bronchi and bronchioles, in alveolar septa, and around bronchial submucosal glands. The hyperplastic BALT in PEN cases consisted of macrophages, dendritic cells, T and B lymphocytes, and IgG+ and IgA+ plasma cells. CD4+ cells predominated over CD8+ cells. Local humoral immunity appears to play an important role in the infection.

Induction of enzootic pneumonia in pigs by the administration of an aerosol of in vitro-cultured Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae

The aim of this study was to establish whether enzootic pneumonia could be induced reliably in piglets by administering an aerosolised culture of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae. Groups of five M hyopneumoniaefree Landrace x Large White piglets weaned at 11 to 14 days of age were exposed to aerosols of in vitro cultures of a virulent strain of M hyopneumoniae. In three separate trials, 14 of 15 pigs exposed to the bacteria developed pneumonia, but pigs exposed to the culture medium alone did not develop the disease. Lung pathology, both gross and histological, indicated acute disease. Ten of the pigs were tested for seroconversion by Western blot and they were all positive. The growth rates of the infected pigs were significantly reduced and the water consumption of the infected groups was also depressed. M hyopneumoniae was recovered from eight of the 15 infected pigs.

Regional immune responses with stage-specific antigen recognition profiles develop in lymph nodes of pigs following Ascaris suum larval migration

The early life-cycle of the pig round worm, Ascaris suum, involves well-defined larval development in the liver, lungs and finally the small intestine. Distinct regional immune responses to larval antigens of A. suum were observed in the draining lymph nodes of immunized and challenged pigs during larval migration. This was reflected in a transient enlargement of the stimulated lymph nodes, due to increases in numbers of B cells and CD4 T cells, and the production of A. suum-specific antibody by antibody secreting cell (ASC) cultures. Larval antigen recognition pattern of antibodies in serum, bile and draining lymph node ASC culture supernatant (ASC-probes) was examined by immunoblotting. This revealed distinct organ-specific recognition patterns of larval-specific antigens by the draining lymph nodes at different times after challenge. In particular, an early larval 42 kDa antigen was recognized specifically by ASC-probes of the liver lymph nodes at 7 but not 14 days postchallenge (pc) which was not detected in other lymph nodes, serum or bile of the same pig. Similarly, a late larval antigen of 34 kDa was uniquely detected by lung and jejunal ASC-probes at 14 days pc. These observations demonstrate how development of distinct regional immune responses in tissues with different antigen stimulation can be monitored with ASC-probes and flow cytometry.

Antibody reactions after aerogenous or subcutaneous immunization of pigs with Pasteurella multocida antigens

Depending upon the antigens used and the initial titres, subcutaneous immunization of weaner pigs by means of a temperature-sensitive mutant of live Pasteurella multocida (serovar A), resulted in a significant rise of the level of specific IgG antibody already present in blood serum, but not in lung lavage fluid, and a specific stimulation of lung clearance as compared to non-immunized controls. Aerogenous immunization of a total of 108 animals in 18 experiments did not influence serum antibody titres but produced a significant rise in lung antibodies and P. multocida clearance as compared to an identical number of controls. In all 12 immunization experiments using the live mutant, increased specific IgA antibodies and in seven out of 10 experiments, elevated IgG antibodies were measured. Only aerogenous immunization was found to be capable of reducing the severity of pneumonia induced by intrabronchial infection.