Protective efficacy of capsule extracts of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae in pigs and mice.

Capsular extracts of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae, Serotype 1, were mixed with AL(OH)3 gel (3 parts extract + 1 part Al(OH)3) and used as vaccines in pigs and mice. Four preparations were tested in Experiment I: NaCl and Cetavlon (hexadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide) extracts of both low in vitro passage (LP) and high in vitro passage (HP) culture, respectively. Four pigs vaccinated with the NaCl extract of the LP strain survived, whereas one of four from each of the remaining vaccine groups and five of six from the control group died. All vaccines induced complement-fixing antibodies. No apparent boosting of titres occurred as a result of challenge with live bacteria. Mice were vaccinated in Experiment II with NaCl and Cetavlon extracts of the LP strain. Both were protective, although the Cetavlon vaccine appeared more efficacious than the NaCl extract. The use of Al(OH)3 adjuvant improved the efficacy of the NaCl vaccine in mice. In Experiment III six gnotobiotic pigs were vaccinated with a combined NaCl and Cetavlon vaccine and seven animals were given placebo. In Experiment IV seven specific pathogen-free (SPF) pigs were given the combined vaccine and eight pigs received placebo treatment. Both of these experiments indicated that the extract vaccines did not completely protect but reduced the mortality in pigs challenged with homologous virulent H. pleuropneumoniae bacteria. The results indicate that capsular antigens of H. pleuropneumoniae have some protective immunogenic efficacy in pigs and mice.