An evaluation of the immunogenicity and protective responses to Brachyspira hyodysenteriae recombinant SmpB vaccination

SmpB is an outer membrane protein of Brachyspira hyodysentariae that is present in some strains of the bacterium. It shares the same locus as SmpA, but all strains tested to date contain either one protein or the other, never both. In this study we have evaluated the efficacy of vaccination with SmpB to elicit immune responses in mice and to protect against a subsequent challenge. Immunised mice develop humoral and cellular responses to SmpB delivered as either a DNA vaccine or a recombinant protein, although the magnitude of the responses is greater after protein vaccination. The responses induced after protein vaccination offer moderate protection against disease and indicate that SmpB has potential as a component of a vaccine against B. hyodysentariae.