Vet World Vol.16 October-2023 Article-7
Research Article
Veterinary World, 16(10): 2063-2070
https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2023.2063-2070
Feasibility of crude F4 fimbriae extract as a vaccine candidate for preventing Escherichia coli-induced diarrhea in piglets
2. Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
3. Laboratory of Bacteria, Veterinary Diagnostic Center, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170, Thailand.
Background and Aim: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) poses a substantial risk of neonatal diarrhea and post-weaning diarrhea among piglets, with F4+ ETEC strains emerging as a particularly challenging issue within the pig farming industry. This study aimed to introduce a straightforward approach for generating a crude extract of F4 fimbriae that shows promise as an antigenic determinant for potential vaccination strategies.
Materials and Methods: A crude F4 fimbriae extract was obtained from F4+ ETEC using a combination of heat shock and homogenization techniques. Subsequently, three 4-week-old piglets were immunized with a primary dose of 150 μg and a booster dose 2 weeks later. Blood samples were collected to evaluate the level of serum F4-specific antibodies using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Results: Analysis using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry techniques unveiled crucial insights into the composition of the crude F4 fimbriae extract. Notably, a distinct prominent band (~24 kDa) was identified, corresponding to the size of FaeG, the major subunit of F4 fimbriae. Regarding antibody response, there was a remarkable disparity between the levels of serum immunoglobulin (Ig)G and IgA antibodies targeting F4 compared with other E. coli strains (F18+ ETEC, F41+ ETEC, and F4−F18−F41− EC), as well as with the unvaccinated control group (p < 0.01). Specifically, the levels of IgG antibodies against other E. coli strains were also significantly higher than those observed in the unvaccinated control group (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the crude F4 fimbriae extracts obtained using our simple extraction method induce specific immune responses against F4+ E. coli and stimulate cross-immunity against other E. coli strains. Therefore, our method shows potential for use in future vaccine development against diarrhea in pigs caused by E. coli. Keywords: diarrhea, Escherichia coli, F4 fimbriae, piglets, vaccine.
Keywords: diarrhea, Escherichia coli, F4 fimbriae, piglets, vaccine.
How to cite this article: Nguyet LTY, Ounjai P, Kaeoket K, and Ngamwongsatit N (2023) Feasibility of crude F4 fimbriae extract as a vaccine candidate for preventing Escherichia coli-induced diarrhea in piglets, Veterinary World, 16(10): 2063-2070.
Received: 11-06-2023 Accepted: 13-09-2023 Published online: 07-10-2023
Corresponding author: Natharin Ngamwongsatit E-mail: natharin.nga@mahidol.edu
DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2023.2063-2070
Copyright: Nguyet LTY, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.