RESUMO
Background and Aim: Mannheimia haemolytica causes respiratory infection and mortality in sheep and goats, similar to the effects in cattle, which causes major economic damage. Regular vaccinations alongside good management practices remain the most efficient tools for controlling this disease. Indeed, vaccines against pasteurellosis are available, but results on their efficacy have varied. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of three vaccines against mannheimiosis in small ruminants. Materials and Methods: We evaluated three vaccines developed from a local field isolate based on the inactivated bacterium, its toxoid, and a mixture of bacterin/toxoid, which we then tested on sheep and goats. Selected criteria that were evaluated were safety, antibody response, and protection through a challenge. Post-vaccination monitoring was carried out by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The evaluation was based on antibody responses to vaccination in sheep and goats for both bacteria and leukotoxin. Protection was assessed by clinical and lesion scores after the challenge of vaccinated goats with a pathogenic strain. Results: The three tested vaccines were completely safe, did not cause any adverse reactions, and induced significant antibody titers in immunized animals. Following M. haemolytica challenge, unvaccinated goats showed clinical signs with lesions typical of the disease. Meanwhile, the best protection was obtained with the inactivated combined bacterin/toxoid vaccine. Conclusion: This study highlighted the effectiveness of adding a bacterial toxoid in the vaccine as a promising solution for preventing mannheimiosis in small ruminants. Because of the worldwide distribution of M. haemolytica infection, general prophylaxis based on a combined inactivated vaccine could greatly benefit.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Mannheimia haemolytica (Mha) is a common agent of pneumonia in ruminants globally, causing economic losses by morbidity, mortality, and treatment costs. Infection by Mha is often associated with or promoted by respiratory viral pathogens and environmental conditions. Infections due to Mha have rarely been described in small ruminants. This study reports the biological and molecular characteristics of a new Moroccan Mha isolate from small ruminants presenting typical respiratory symptoms. We also studied the cultural parameters, growth kinetics, and Lkt excretion of the isolate and its pathogenicity on laboratory animals and small ruminants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Suspected pasteurellosis cases in sheep and goat flocks in Morocco were investigated. A local strain of Mha was isolated and identified using biochemical and molecular methods. Polymerase chain reaction-targeting specific genes were used for serotyping and phylogenetic analyses; further, leukotoxin production, cytotoxicity, and pathogenicity of the isolate in mice, goats, and sheep were investigated. RESULTS: Phylogeny analysis revealed 98.76% sequence identity with the USA isolate of 2013; the strain growth with a cycle of 9-10 h with leukotoxin secretion was detected by NETosis and quantified by cytotoxicity and mortality of mice. Goat and sheep infections cause hyperthermia, with characteristic postmortem lesions in the trachea and lung. CONCLUSION: A local isolate of Mha from sheep that died of pneumonia was characterized for the 1st time in North Africa using biological and molecular methods. Although growth on appropriate culture media is accompanied by intense leukotoxin secretion, experimental infections of sheep and goats cause hyperthermia and typical lesions of pneumonia.
RESUMO
Mannheimia haemolytica is the principle bacterial pathogen in ruminants associated with respiratory disease. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of the Mannheimia haemolytica MHA.Sh.MOR19 strain that was recently isolated in the northwest of Morocco from the lung of a lamb that died from pneumonia. The genome size is 2,434,458 bp.
