Immunological evaluation of invasive Lactobacillus plantarum co-expressing EtMIC2 and chicken interleukin-18 against Eimeria tenella

• Published in: Parasitology research (1987) Vol. 119; no. 9; pp. 2885 - 2895
• Main Authors: Zhang, Zan, Huang, Hai-Bin, Jiang, Yan-Long, Liu, Jing, Gao, Xing, Liu, Yang, Yang, Wen-Tao, Shi, Chun-Wei, Wang, Dan, Wang, Jian-Zhong, Kang, Yuan-Huan, Wang, Chun-Feng, Yang, Gui-Lian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.09.2020; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Analysis; Antibodies; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; CD4 antigen; CD8 antigen; Cell-mediated immunity; Coccidiosis; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA vaccines; Eimeria tenella; Epithelial cells; FnBPA protein; Immune system; Immunology; Immunology and Host-Parasite Interactions - Original Paper; Interleukin 18; Interleukin 4; Interleukins; Lactobacillus; Lactobacillus plantarum; Liu Jing; Medical Microbiology; Microbiology; Parasitic diseases; Poultry; Poultry industry; Protozoa; Splenocytes; Vaccines; Viral antibodies; γ-Interferon; China; DNA delivery; chIL-18; Coccidiosis; Invasive; EtMIC2
• ISSN: 0932-0113; 1432-1955
• DOI: 10.1007/s00436-020-06745-w

Chicken coccidiosis is a protozoan parasitic disease that leads to considerable economic losses in the poultry industry. In this study, we used invasive Lactobacillus plantarum ( L.P ) expressing the FnBPA protein as a novel bacterial carrier for DNA delivery into epithelial cells to develop a live oral DNA vaccine. A fusion DNA vaccine co-expressing EtMIC2 and chicken IL-18 (chIL-18) was constructed and then delivered to the host by invasive L.P . Its efficacy against Eimeria tenella challenge was evaluated in chickens by examining the relative weight gain rate; caecal lesion score; OPG; anti-coccidial index (ACI); levels of EtMIC2 antibody, FnBPA, IL-4, IL-18, IFN-γ and SIgA; and proliferation ability and percentages of CD4 + and CD8 + splenocytes. The experimental results showed that chickens immunized with invasive L.P carrying the eukaryotic expression vector pValac-EtMIC2 (pValac-EtMIC2/pSIP409-FnBPA) had markedly improved immune protection against challenge compared with that of chickens immunized with non-invasive L.P (pValac-EtMIC2/pSIP409). However, invasive L.P co-expressing EtMIC2 with the chIL-18 vector exhibited the highest protection efficiency against E. tenella . These results indicate that invasive Lactobacillus -expressing FnBPA improved humoural and cellular immunity and enhanced resistance to E. tenella . The DNA vaccine delivered by invasive Lactobacillus provides a new concept and method for the prevention of E. tenella .