Induction of protective immunity in calves immunized with adult Oesophagostomum radiatum somatic antigens.

Oesophagostomum radiatum, the nodular worm of cattle, is a severe pathogen in previously uninfected calves. However, cattle develop a strong protective immune response upon exposure to the parasite. In order to evaluate whether soluble parasite antigens could induce protective immunity, a soluble fraction was obtained from disrupted adult worms, and this fraction was used to vaccinate calves. The vaccination protocol involved two immunizations. The first was administered intramuscularly with complete Freund's adjuvant, the second was given intraperitoneally with antigen plus alum. This immunization reduced the number of worms developing from a subsequent challenge infection by 85% and also reduced clinical signs associated with infection with adult worms. However, vaccination resulted in decreased weight gains during the larval phase of the infection. Analysis of the immune response generated in the vaccinated calves indicated that protection from infection was significantly correlated with the levels of: (1) circulating parasite-specific IgG2 antibody; (2) cellular immune reactivity as determined in a conventional parasite-specific lymphocyte proliferation assay. Serum anti-O. radiatum IgG2 antibodies from vaccinated calves were used in immunoblots to identify the major immunogens. There were five major immunogens with molecular weights ranging from 70 to 150 kDa. Fractions separated by high-pressure liquid chromatography contained immunogens that were used to immunize calves. Vaccination with these fractions was found to impart the same level of protective immunity and induced similar IgG2 antibody and cellular immune responses as the crude whole worm extract even with 100-fold less protein.