Evaluation of humoral immunity and protective efficacy of biofilm producing Staphylococcus aureus bacterin-toxoid prepared from a bovine mastitis isolate in rabbit

Mastitis is a one of the major diseases of dairy animals. Staphylococcus aureus is the most common microorganism associated with this dairy scourge. Cure rates of mastitis associated with this pathogen are appallingly low. Biofilm is an important virulence factor and immunogenic structure of S. aureus that makes it resistant to phagocytosis and antibiotics. Reports on the efficacy of vaccine prepared from a biofilm producing S. aureus are infrequent. The present study was designed to evaluate the role of a bacterin-toxoid prepared from a strong biofilm producing S. aureus in effective immunization of rabbits. The strong biofilm producing S. aureus selected from 64 isolates of staphylococci was used to prepare bacterin-toxoid and aluminum hydroxide gel was added as an adjuvant. The vaccine was evaluated in rabbits by challenge protection assay and humoral immune response. The mortality rates in control and vaccinated groups were 80% and 10% at day 7 post challenge and 100% and 20% at day 15 post challenge, respectively. Serum antibody titer [GMT] was significantly higher [294.0] in vaccinated group as compared to control group of rabbits [2.63] at day 45. The results showed that the vaccine has significantly elicited humoral immune response in rabbit and developed protective efficacy against new infections

Hematological studies in chickens infected with hydropericardium syndrome

The present research project was designed to determine the hematologiacal values in infected broiler flocks with hydropericardium syndrome from January to June, 2012 in order to adjoining areas of Hyderabad Sindh. A total of 72 containing population 96,500 broiler chicken were surveyed to observe for hematological variation during the study period. Only 30 [41.66%] flocks were found affected with Hydro pericardium syndrome. Out of these flocks, the incidence of syndrome was recorded as 5.4% during the month of January, 7.41% in February, 10.8% in March, 13% in April, 15.1 in May and 12.8% during the month of June. The hematological studies were conducted in infected broilers with hydropericardium syndrome and found increase in white blood cells [WBC] from 14.500 +/- 2.298 to 25.820 +/- 844.00 and concentration of erythrocytic sedimentation rate [ESR] from 2.340 +/- 0.89 to 3.458 +/- 0.291. Amongst leukocytic count, showed marked increase with neutrophils and relative decrease of lymphocytes from 69.360 +/- 0.152 to 55.480 +/- 2.132, monocytes 4.660 +/- 0.598 to 3.340 +/- 270, eosinophils 1.496 +/- 0.204 to 1.004 +/- 0.097 and basophils 0.878 +/- 0.55 to 0.734 +/- 0.067 in infected birds