Oral immunization using formalin-inactivated Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae antigens entrapped in microspheres with aqueous dispersion polymers prepared using a co-spray drying process.

Oral-vaccine microspheres based on formalin-inactivated Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 1 (AP-1) antigens and enteric-coated polymers were prepared using a co-spray drying process. We evaluated using this for a peroral vaccine. We measured specific-antibody titers and protection from challenge in mouse and pig models. In mice (24 per group), a subcutaneous aluminum-adjuvant vaccine or oral vaccination with three doses of AQ6-AP microspheres provided similar protection against intranasal challenge with 5 x 10(8) colony-formation units (cfu) of AP-1 bacterial culture broth. Two weeks after four oral vaccinations with 600 mg of AQ6-AP microsphere acetate solution (containing formalin-inactivated AP-1 antigens of 1.0 x 10(10) cfu bacterial broth), pigs (9 per group) were challenged intranasally with 1 ml of AP-1 bacterial culture broth (5 x 10(9) cfu). The clinical signs, percentage of pig survival ratio, lung lesion areas, and microscopic examinations indicated that the oral AQ6-AP vaccine provided more protection than vaccinating pigs intramuscularly with AP-1 aluminum vaccine.