1. Evaluation of plant-produced Clostridium perfringens type D epsilon toxoid in a vaccine against enterotoxaemia in sheep
- Author
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Tsepo L. Tsekoa, Rachel Chikwamba, Malefa Tselanyane, Boet Weyers, Ereck Chakauya, Tinyiko Mokoena, and Michael Crampton
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,03 medical and health sciences ,030104 developmental biology ,General Veterinary ,medicine ,Toxoid ,General Medicine ,Biology ,Clostridium perfringens ,Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin ,Technology innovation ,medicine.disease_cause ,Virology - Abstract
Enterotoxaemia (pulpy kidney) is a common bacterial disease of sheep caused by Clostridium perfringens type D epsilon toxin. It has mortality rates of up to 30% in non-vaccinated animals. Current vaccines from whole cell cultures are expensive to manufacture and can induce local inflammatory responses in sheep. They usually have reduced immunogenicity because of the difficulty of standardising the inactivation step in vaccine manufacturing. In the current study, we evaluated the safety and potency of a recombinant plant-made epsilon toxoid protein (r-Etox) as an affordable and safer alternative vaccine for developing countries. Results of injection site reactions, rectal temperature and toxin neutralisation test in single and prime– boost inoculations of mice, guinea pigs and sheep suggest that the product is not toxic to animals and could protect sheep against enterotoxaemia.
- Published
- 2017
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