Development of a subunit vaccine for
contagious bovine pleuropneumonia in Africa
Jan Naessens
ILRI BioSciences Day, Nairobi, 27 November 2013

Funding body: IDRC-CIDA (CIFSFR grant)
Full Title: Development of a subunit vaccine for
contagious bovine pleuropneumonia in Africa.
Short Title: Vaccine for CBPP
Institutes:
VIDO, Saskatoon
KARI Vet Res Centre, Muguga
KARI Biotech, Nairobi
ILRI, Nairobi

Important to ILRI: contribute to the following CGIAR
goal and priorities “Animal health research to develop
low-cost vaccines and diagnostic tools appropriate for
smallholders”
Recipients of outcome: contribution to a better vaccine
will directly benefit livestock keepers in areas with CBPP
and national veterinary services that are responsible for
disease monitoring and vaccination
Howe will it change their lives? Better
productivity, reduced trade restrictions.

State of the problem?
One of the most important
livestock diseases in Africa
(AU-IBAR, OIE)
Affects 24 m people in low
income countries
Cost?
Distribution of CBPP
in Africa

How will this project change the outcomes?
A vaccine will reduce the cost of cattle farming and help
to reduce trade restrictions.

Links to ILRI’s SLO’s?
- Reduced rural poverty for the livestock keepers
- Improved food security, as more livestock products are
available at lower cost

Hypothesis
Antibodies to proteins from mycoplasma can protect

Approach
Use bio-informatics to select 75 potential vaccine
antigens (mycoplasma molecules that are secreted or
present on the surface)
Produce the recombinant proteins
Use these proteins to immunize cattle and check their
capacity to protect the host after challenge.

Innovation?
Systemic approach
Direct result

% animals
with symptoms
Non-immunized
Live vaccine
Heat-inactivated
Formalin-fixed
70
13
38
57
average lung
lesion score
1.3 (± 0.9)
0.3 (± 0.7)
0.5 (± 0.7)
2.0 (± 2.3)

Conclusions:
1. It is possible to induce protection with inactivated
material. Live mycoplasma are not necessary.
2. Protection is not correlated with antibody titre
against whole mycoplasma.
3. The way the antigen is presented and delivered
plays a major role.

Exp.
1
2
3
Number
ags cattle
25
25
16
60
60
50
date first
immunization
03-10-2013
09-12-2013
04-02-2014
date
challenge
07-11-2013
14-01-2014
18-03-2014
end
01-2014
03-2014
05-2014

Future steps?
If we find that a pool of proteins protect:
- confirm & identify protein
- optimize delivery - adjuvant/doses
- period of immunity
- efficacy
- minimum dose
If we have a potential vaccine:
- roll out and adoption strategy (IDRC-funding)
(together with pox virus project - OVI/Alberta)

What support do you expect from ILRI and the BioScience
Directorate?
I did not expect directorate to do much
but I hope they support to continue this project to the end

better lives through livestock
ilri-org