[The immune response in edema disease of weaned piglets measured with a recombinant B subunit of shiga-like toxin II].

Abstract

An outbreak of edema disease (ED) was monitored in 80 piglets after weaning over a period of 4 weeks. The shedding of Shiga-like toxin-IIe) producing Escherichia coli strains, the serum bactericidal activity (SBA) against SLTEC-IIe, and the antibody response against SLT-IIe were investigated. The antibody response was monitored by utilizing a glutathione-S-transferase (GST) + SLT-IIe B/SUB fusion protein (FRANKE et al., in press) for immunoblot assays. E. coli-strain GO15III (0141:K85ac) was diagnosed as SLT-IIe-producing E. coli by polymerase chain reaction, DNA hybridization and cytotoxicity assays. Maximum excretion of GO15III appeared between days 8 and 15 after weaning. On day 1 after weaning no piglet shed GO15III, while the number increased on day 8 to 53 (66.2%) and on day 15 to 59 (73.8%) of the piglets. 4 week after weaning, GO15III was only isolated from 23 (28.8%) of the piglets. In parallel, serum bactericidal activity against GO15III increased significantly in the sera of 73 (91.2%) piglets, reaching a stable maximum from day 15 on. During the first two weeks after weaning, no piglet yielded detectable SLT-IIe-IgG. However, the number of SLT-IIe-IgG positive piglets increased steadily from day 15. On day 15, 5 (6.2%) piglets were positive in SLT-IIe immunoblot analysis and 29 days after weaning the number increased to 31 (38.8%). These data represent the first serological monitoring of a natural outbreak of edema disease in piglets after weaning by using a recombinant fusion protein (GST+SLT-IIe B/SUB). The recombinant protein proved to be a useful diagnostical tool for monitoring the specific antibody status of piglets.

• Authors: L H Wieler, S Franke, C Menge, M Rose, R Bauerfeind, H Karch, G Baljer
• Journal: DTW. Deutsche tierarztliche Wochenschrift (Dtsch Tierarztl Wochenschr) Vol. 102 Issue 1 Pg. 40-3 (Jan 1995) ISSN: 0341-6593 [Print] Germany
• Vernacular Title: Untersuchungen zur Immunantwort bei der Odemkrankheit von Absetzferkeln mit einer rekombinanten B-Untereinheit des Shiga-like-Toxins-II.
• PMID: 7781538 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antibodies, Bacterial
• Bacterial Toxins
• Recombinant Fusion Proteins
• Shiga Toxin 2

Topics

• Animals
• Antibodies, Bacterial (biosynthesis)
• Bacterial Toxins (immunology)
• Edema Disease of Swine (immunology)
• Escherichia coli (immunology)
• HeLa Cells
• Humans
• Recombinant Fusion Proteins (immunology)
• Shiga Toxin 2
• Swine
• Weaning