Acinetobacter baumannii easily turns into pan
drug-resistant (PDR) with a high mortality rate. No effective commercial
antibiotic or approved
vaccine is available against
drug-resistant strains of this pathogen. Egg yolk
immunoglobulin (
IgY) could be used as a simple and low-cost biotherapeutic against its
infections. This study evaluates the prophylactic potential of
IgY against A. baumannii in a murine
pneumonia model. White Leghorn hens were immunized with
intramuscular injection of the recombinant biofilm-associated
protein (Bap) from A. baumannii on days 0, 21, 42, and 63. The reactivity and antibiofilm activity of specific IgYs raised against the Bap was evaluated by indirect ELISA and a microtiter plate assay for biofilm formation. The IgYs against Bap were able to decrease the biofilm formation ability of A. baumannii and protect the mice against the challenge of A. baumannii. IgYs antibody raised here shows a good
antigen-specificity and protectivity which can be used in passive immunotherapy against A. baumannii. In conclusion, the
IgY against biofilm-associated
protein proves prophylactic in a murine
pneumonia model.