Determination and evaluation of the best conditions for the production of a vaccine against Clostridium chauvoei

Abstract

Clostridium chauvoei is responsible for a number of diseases such as symptomatic coal (blackleg) and malignant oedema in cattle, sheep and many other domestic and wild animals. Vaccines for the control of this and other livestock diseases caused by various species of clostridia are widely used. For vaccine production it is desirable that high cellular density cultures with high immunogenic power are obtained, mainly because immunity to Clostridium chauvoei is generally considered to be antibacterial rather than antitoxic. Consequently, culture conditions have to be adequately monitored and controlled. The aim of this work was to optimise the production of a vaccine against Clostridium chauvoei based on strains IRP-434, IRP 206, ATCC 10092, ATCC 11957 and LANIP, used by “Empresa Colombiana de Productos Veterinarios”, VECOL, S.A., to determine the culture medium that allows the highest cellular density. Results show that modified clostridium medium allows the highest cellular density production with average values of 31,5X108 cell/ml for the stock IRP 434 and 31,8X108 cell/ml for the stock IRP 206. Once defined the modified clostridium medium, the stock IRP 434,IRP 206 and growth time as the most suitable for optimal biomass production ( 16 – 48 hours), the lethal activity of the stock (LD50 = 106.6 , 106.8) was determined, the immunogenicity was evaluated through a potency test carried out in guinea-pigs. The presence of the flagellar protein was confirmed through the SDS-PAGE electrophoresis technique.