Vaccines for fowl colibacillosis

Abstract: A vaccine useful for the protection of poultry from colibacillosis infections comprises as an active ingredient pre-inactivated and ultrasonicated E. coli cells. Poultry may be protected from colibacillosis infections by inoculating said vaccine into poultry through the cloaca.

Description: This invention relates to a vaccine useful for the protection of poultry from colibacillosis infections. More specifically, this invention relates to a vaccine which comprises as an active ingredient ultrasonically disintegrated cells of Escherichia coli which have been pre-inactivated. This invention also enables a method for protecting poultry from colibacillosis infections which comprises inoculating the vaccine of the invention into the poultry through the cloaca. "Fowl colibacillosis" includes various diseases in poultry caused by pathogenic E. coli strains (colibacillus), such as colisepsis, arthritis, hemorrhagic enterisis, and the like. Mass outbreaks of colisepsis in broilers, among others, bring serious economical damage to farmers. Accordingly, the development of any efficient method for the treatment and prophylaxis of fowl colibacillosis has long been a major problem to poultry farmers. Chemotherapeutics and antibiotics have been hitherto used therefor. However, these medicinies are now losing value because of the appearance of resistant strains. Therefore, in place of these medicines, some vaccines useful for the protection of poultry from colibacillosis infections have been developed. Thus, a vaccine for colibacillosis which comprises whole cells of inactivated E. coli is already known. However, this inactived vaccine is not only highly toxic, but also less effective in protecting poultry from colibacillosis infections. On the other hand, it has already been suggested that the toxicity of the inactivated vaccine and the appearance of resistant strains can be reduced when the vaccine is inoculated into poultry through the cloaca (Japanese Patent Publication (not-examined) No. 131920/1983). It has now been found that the prophylactic activity of inactivated E. coli cells is significantly increased when the inactivated cells are ultrasonically disrupted, and that such pre-inactivated and ultrasonicated E. coli cells have desirable properties for use in vaccines to be employed for the treatment and prophylaxis of colibacillosis infections in poultry. It has also been found that a vaccine prepared as such shows less toxicity when administered through the cloaca as previously suggested. Accordingly, in one aspect, this invention provides a vaccine useful for the protection of poultry from colibacillosis infections which comprises as an active ingredient substantially the whole of E.coli cells which have been pre-inactivated and ultrasonicated to disruption. This invention also provides such a vaccine for use in a method for protecting poultry from colibacillosis infections by inoculating the vaccine into poultry through the cloaca. As used herein, "pre-inactivated E. coli cells" means E. coli cells which have been inactivated in usual ways. "Pre-inactivated and ultrasonicated E. coli cells" refers to E. coli cells which have been subjected to an inactivating process and then to an ultrasonic disruption process. "Poultry" refers to domestic fowl such as chickens, ducks, quails, pigeons, turkeys, and the like. Preparation of pre-inactivated E. coli cells Pathogenic E. coli cells are isolated from organs (e.g. air sacs) or droppings of poultry suffering from colibacillosis and grown in a culture medium by conventional methods. The resulting cell culture is treated with an inactivating agent such as formalin (a 40% aqueous formaldehyde solution), phenol, acetone, an alcohol, and the like. As will be understood to those skilled in the art, any other known inactivating methods, for example, lyophilisation and heat treatment, can also be used. Preparation of pre-inactivated and ultrasonicated E. coli cells The inactivated cell culture prepared above is subjected to an ultrasonic disruption treatment using a commercially available apparatus (e.g. Cell Disruper 200, BRANSON) under appropriate conditions. Suitable conditions for the disruption treatment may vary depending upon the particular apparatus and other factors. When Cell Disruper 200 is employed, the ultrasonic disruption may be conducted under the following conditions: maximum output, 50% oscillation frequency, for 5 minutes, three times, with cooling on ice. Any other ultrasonicating apparatus can be used for preparing the vaccine of the invention, provided that such apparatus can successfully injure and destroy E. coli cells. Alternatively, the inactivated cell culture may be first centrifuged to collect the cells, which are then suspended in PBS to prepare a bacterial solution. The resulting bacterial solution is then subjected to ultrasonic disruption treatment as mentioned above. Vaccine preparation Processes for the preparation of vaccines which contain inactivated bacteria cells as an active ingredient are well known in the art. The vaccine of the present invention which contains pre-inactivated and ultrasonicated E. coli cells can be prepared in the same manner as known vaccines. The vaccine of the invention may contain an adjuvant, for example, an aluminium compound such as aluminium hydroxide gel, or Freund's complete adjuvants. The vaccine of the invention may also contain a preservative for the prevention of growth of undesirable microorganisms. Preferred preservatives are, for example, marzonine, tyrosine, benzoic acid, formaldehyde solution, salicylic acid, crystal violet, surfactants such as benzetonium chloride, polymyxin, gramicidine, and the like. The vaccine of the invention can be conventionally administered, for example, intramuscularly, intravenously, or subcutaneously. However, such administration routes may sometimes cause weight loss in the poultry, as is the case with known vaccines. However, this disadvantageous effect can be reduced or diminished by inoculating the vaccine through the cloaca as stated before. Typically, 0.002-0.2ml (about 2x10⁵ - 2x10¹⁰ CFU/ml) of vaccine of the invention is inoculated through the cloaca into each animal such as a chicken, a duck, or a turkey. Such doses are sufficient to protect the poultry from colibacillosis and to prevent mass infections of said disease. The following Examples are provided to further illustrate and exemplify the present invention. Example 1 1. Vaccine (1) Pathogenic E. coli strains (O₂) isolated from air sacs of chickens suffering from colibacillosis were incubated in a broth medium at 37°C for about 24 hours. To the cell culture was added formalin to a final concentration of 0.2%. The inactivated cell culture thus obtained contained more than 1.5x10⁹ cells per ml (CFU/ml). A portion of the cell culture was ultrasonicated using Cell Disruper 200 (BRANSON) at 50% oscillation frequency under maximum output (5 minutes, 3 times) with cooling on ice. This gave vaccine (1) of the invention. 2. Vaccine (2) Inactivated cells were collected by centrifugation (14000xG for 20 minutes at 4°C), and then suspended into PBS to prepare a bacterial solution which contained inactivated E. coli cells at a density of 2x10¹⁰ CFU/ml. The bacterial solution was then subjected to the aforementioned Cell Disruper to yield vaccine (2) of the invention. The PBS solution was prepared as follows: 11.9g of NaH₂PO₄ 12H₂O, 3.6g of NaH₂PO₄ 2H₂O, and 9.6g of NaCl were thoroughly admixed. To the mixture was added distilled water to a final volume of 1 litre, and the resultant solution was sterilized before use. The vaccines prepared above were inoculated into poultry, and the immunization activity thereof was evaluated as described below. Experiment Pathogenic E. coli solution and its inactivated solution prepared in Examples 1,1. and 1,2. were used as positive control vaccine (1) and positive control vaccine (2) respectively. Eleven chicks (Chankey, broiler species) within 30 hours after hatching were used for tests. Each chick was inoculated with 0.03ml of vaccine (1), vaccine (2), positive control vaccine (1) or positive control vaccine (2) through the cloaca by the intravenous drip method (see Japanese Patent Publication (not-examined) No. 131920/1983). When the chick became 21 days old, 6x10⁷ CFU of pathogenic E. coli cells, the same strain as used in the preparation of the vaccines, were intravenously injected into each chick. Another group of 12 chicks received only the pathogenic E. coli cells, which served as a negative control. Prophylactic action of the vaccines was evaluated on the basis of the number of survivals on the seventh day after infection, and survival rates were statistically analyzed using X² test. The results are shown below in Table 1. The table shows that the vaccines of the invention exhibit remarkable prophylactic action when compared with conventional vaccines. It will thus be appreciated that the invention includes a method of making a vaccine useful for the protection of poultry from colibacillosis infections, comprising inactivating E. coli cells and subjecting them to ultrasonic disruption. Also included in the invention is the use of pre-inactivated and ultrasonicated E. coli cells in making a vaccine against poultry colibacillosis. The essence of the invention is the use of ultrasonic cell disruption in making a vaccine against poultry colibacillosis.

Claims: A poultry vaccine which comprises as an active ingredient the whole of E.coli cells which have been pre-inactivated and ultrasonicated to disruption, for use in the protection of poultry from colibacillosis infections. A poultry vaccine as claimed in claim 1 which also contains an adjuvant and/or a preservative. A poultry vaccine as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 and for use in a method for protecting poultry from colibacillosis infections by inoculating the vaccine into poultry through the cloaca. A method of making a poultry vaccine for use in the protection of poultry from colibacillosis infections, comprising pre-inactivating E. coli cells, subjecting the E. coli cells to ultrasonication to disruption, and using the whole of the E. coli cells which have been so treated as an active ingredient in the vaccine. A method as claimed in claim 4 wherein an adjuvant and/or a preservative is provided together with the pre-inactivated and ultrasonically disrupted E. coli cells. The use of substantially the whole of E.coli cells which have been pre-inactivated and ultrasonicated to disruption in the preparation of a vaccine against poultry colibacillosis.

Inventors: KATO KAZUYOSHI, KIMURA NOBUTAKE, KONISHI TAKAO, SHIBATA KENJI, SUGIMORI GIICHI, KATO, KAZUYOSHI, KIMURA, NOBUTAKE, KONISHI, TAKAO, SHIBATA, KENJI, SUGIMORI, GIICHI
Applicants: NISSHIN FLOUR MILLING CO, NISSHIN FLOUR MILLING CO., LTD.
Application year: 1987
Main classification: A61K39
IPC codes: C12N1, A61K39, A61P31, C12R1