Macrophages largely contribute to heterologous anti-Propionibacterium acnes antibody-mediated protection from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection in mice

An anti-Propionibacterium acnes antibody shows heterologous resistance to an Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae infection independent of neutrophils in mice

Porcine contagious pleuropneumonia is a highly fatal respiratory disease that is caused by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) and results in tremendous economic losses for the pig breeding industry worldwide. Previous studies have demonstrated that Propionibacterium acnes (PA) could effectively prevent APP infection in mice and pigs. The humoral immune response played a primary role during this process and anti-PA antibody could mediate macrophages to kill the bacteria. However, the role of neutrophils in this process is currently unknown. In this study, mice were injected with cyclophosphamide to deplete neutrophils and then passively immunized with anti-PA serum or negative serum. Mice were subsequently challenged with APP serotype 1. The results showed that the mice exhibited less bacterial colonization, less lung damage, and a high survival rate, which were immunized with the anti-PA antibody whether neutrophils were depleted or not. Worse still, the presence of neutrophils increased the damage to the mice after challenge. These results suggest that the activity of the anti-PA antibody against APP infection was independent of neutrophils. These findings have important significance for understanding the mechanisms of humoral immunity conferred by heterologous immunization and lay a good foundation for preventing APP infection.

B cell cross-epitope of Propionibacterium acnes and Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia selected by phage display library can efficiently protect from Actinobacillus pleuropneumonia infection

Contagious porcine pleuropneumonia (CPP), caused by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP), is a highly transmissible and fatal respiratory illness that causes tremendous economic losses for the pig breeding industry worldwide. Propionibacterium acnes (PA) has a strong cross-reaction with anti-APP1 and anti-APP5 serum and can efficiently prevent APP infection, which was fortuitously found in researching the differential gene between the different APP serotypes. There seems to be some natural cross-protection between PA and APP. To identify the common epitope, the phage display library of a PA whole genome was constructed, whose size is 10⁵. The DNA sequence of the positive clone was determined after three rounds of biopanning, and ten common protein types were identified and the epitope was predicted by computer software. Six peptide epitopes were selected and synthesized for further analysis. Among these epitopes, Ba1, Bb5 and C1 could bind to anti-PA serum and anti-APP1 serum and vice versa. Furthermore, the IgG and IL-4 levels and CD4⁺/CD8⁺ T cell ratios in the Ba1, Bb5 and C1 groups were significantly higher than that in the control group, indicating that the epitopes could trigger an immune response, which was mainly humoral immunity. Moreover, Ba1 and Bb5 equally protected 80% of mice from a fatal dose of APP1 infection compared with the control group. Mice could resist APP1 and APP5 challenge after being treated with the combination of Ba1 and Bb5, with survival rates of 80% and 90%, respectively. These findings suggest that the PA epitope confers antigenicity and can heterologously resist to the APP infection. This finding provides a novel strategy for preventing APP infection.

Live Streptococcus suis type 5 strain XS045 provides cross-protection against infection by strains of types 2 and 9

Streptococcus suis is one of the common pathogens causing diseases in pigs and covers 35 serotypes with the type 2 strains being more pathogenic and zoonotic. Existing inactivated or subunit vaccines, in clinical use or under trial, could not provide cross protection against other serotypes. We identified a natural low-virulence S. suis type 5 strain XS045 as a live vaccine candidate because it is highly adhesive to the cultured HEp-2 cells, but with no apparent pathogenicity in mice and piglets. We further demonstrate that subcutaneous administration of the live XS045 strain to mice induced high antibody responses and was able to provide cross protection against challenges by a type 2 strain HA9801 (100% protection) and a type 9 strain JX13 (85% protection). Induction of high-titer antibodies with opsonizing activity as well as their cross-reactivity to surface proteins of the types 2 and 9 strains and anti-adhesion effect could be the mechanisms of cross protection. This is the first report that a live vaccine candidate S. suis type 5 strain could induce cross-protection against strains of types 2 and 9. This candidate strain is to be further examined for safety in pigs of different ages and breeds as well as for its protection against other serotypes or other strains of the type 2, a serotype of particular importance from public health concern.