Oral Immunization of Chickens with Probiotic <i>Lactobacillus crispatus</i> Constitutively Expressing the α-β2-ε-β1 Toxoids to Induce Protective Immunity

<i>Clostridium perfringens</i> (<i>C. perfringens</i>) is a bacterium that commonly causes zoonotic disease. The pathogenicity of <i>C. perfringens</i> is a result of the combined action of α, β, and ε exotoxins. In this study, <i>Lactobacillus crispatus<...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Mohammad Zeb Khan, Fengsai Li, Xuewei Huang, Muhammad Nouman, Roshna Bibi, Xiaolong Fan, Han Zhou, Zhifu Shan, Li Wang, Yanping Jiang, Wen Cui, Xinyuan Qiao, Yijing Li, Xiaona Wang, Lijie Tang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-04-01
Series:Vaccines
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-393X/10/5/698
Description
Summary:<i>Clostridium perfringens</i> (<i>C. perfringens</i>) is a bacterium that commonly causes zoonotic disease. The pathogenicity of <i>C. perfringens</i> is a result of the combined action of α, β, and ε exotoxins. In this study, <i>Lactobacillus crispatus</i> (pPG-T7g10/<i>L. crispatus</i>) expressing the main toxoids of <i>C. perfringens</i>, α, ε, β1, and β2, with EGFP-labeling, was constructed, and the protective effect was estimated in chickens. The α-β2-ε-β1 toxoid was constitutively expressed for confirmation by laser confocal microscopy and western blotting, and its immunogenicity was analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunohistochemical assays. After booster immunization, the probiotic vaccine group showed significantly higher levels (<i>p</i> < 0.05) of specific secretory IgA (sIgA) and IgY antibodies in the serum and intestinal mucus. Furthermore, the levels of cytokines, including interferon (IFN)-γ, interleukin (lL)-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-12, and IL-17, and the proliferation of spleen lymphocytes in chickens orally immunized with pPG-E-α-β2-ε-β1/<i>L. crispatus</i> increased significantly. Histopathological observations showed that the intestinal pathological changes in chickens immunized with pPG-E-α-β2ε-β1/<i>L. crispatus</i> were significantly alleviated. These data reveal that the probiotic vaccine could stimulate mucosal, cellular, and humoral immunity and provide an active defense against the toxins of <i>C. perfringens</i>, suggesting a promising candidate for oral vaccines against <i>C. perfringens.</i>
ISSN:2076-393X