Development of a subunit vaccine for contagious bovine pleuropneumonia in Africa

Jan Naessens

ILRI BioSciences Day, Nairobi, 27 November 2013

Funding body: IDRC-CIDA (CIFSFR grant)

Full Title: Development of a subunit vaccine for contagious bovine pleuropneumonia in Africa.

Short Title: Vaccine for CBPP

Institutes: VIDO, SaskatoonKARI Vet Res Centre, MugugaKARI Biotech, NairobiILRI, Nairobi

Important to ILRI: contribute to the following CGIAR goal and priorities “Animal health research to develop low-cost vaccines and diagnostic tools appropriate for smallholders”

Recipients of outcome: contribution to a better vaccine will directly benefit livestock keepers in areas with CBPP and national veterinary services that are responsible for disease monitoring and vaccination

Howe will it change their lives? Better productivity, reduced trade restrictions.

State of the problem? Distribution of CBPP in Africa

One of the most important livestock diseases in Africa (AU-IBAR, OIE)

Affects 24 m people in low income countries

Cost?

How will this project change the outcomes?

A vaccine will reduce the cost of cattle farming and help to reduce trade restrictions.

Links to ILRI’s SLO’s?

- Reduced rural poverty for the livestock keepers

- Improved food security, as more livestock products are available at lower cost

Hypothesis

Antibodies to proteins from mycoplasma can protect

Approach

Use bio-informatics to select 75 potential vaccine antigens (mycoplasma molecules that are secreted or present on the surface)

Produce the recombinant proteins

Use these proteins to immunize cattle and check their capacity to protect the host after challenge.

Innovation?

Systemic approach

Direct result

% animals average lung with symptoms lesion score

Non-immunized 70 1.3 (± 0.9)

Live vaccine 13 0.3 (± 0.7)

Heat-inactivated 38 0.5 (± 0.7)

Formalin-fixed 57 2.0 (± 2.3)

Conclusions:

1. It is possible to induce protection with inactivated material. Live mycoplasma are not necessary.

2. Protection is not correlated with antibody titre against whole mycoplasma.

3. The way the antigen is presented and delivered plays a major role.

Exp. Number date first dateags cattle immunization challenge end

1 25 60 03-10-2013 07-11-2013 01-20142 25 60 09-12-2013 14-01-2014 03-20143 16 50 04-02-2014 18-03-2014 05-2014

Future steps?

If we find that a pool of proteins protect:- confirm & identify protein- optimize delivery - adjuvant/doses

- period of immunity - efficacy

- minimum dose

If we have a potential vaccine:- roll out and adoption strategy (IDRC-funding)

(together with pox virus project - OVI/Alberta)

What support do you expect from ILRI and the BioScience Directorate?

I did not expect directorate to do muchbut I hope they support to continue this project to the end

better lives through livestock

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