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      Contagious epididymitis due to Brucella ovis: relationship between sexual function, serology and bacterial shedding in semen

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          Abstract

          Background

          Contagious Epididymitis (CE) due to Brucella ovis ( B. ovis) is a contagious disease that impairs rams’ fertility due to epididymis, testicle and accessory sexual gland alterations. An increased incidence of CE has been observed in South Eastern France (“PACA” region) since the Rev.1 vaccination against B. melitensis has been stopped in 2008. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the infection by B. ovis and the sexual function of rams.

          Two-hundred eighteen sexually-mature rams, from 11 seropositive flocks, were submitted to a clinical examination of the genital tract, a semen collection by electro-ejaculation for spermogram and culture, and a serological examination for anti- B. ovis antibodies by complement fixation test (CFT) and indirect ELISA (I-ELISA). The relationships between clinical, seminal, bacteriological and serological parameters were studied using the Fisher exact test and a logistic regression model (binomial logit).

          Results

          B. ovis shedding in semen was significantly associated with seropositivity (CFT and I-ELISA; p < 0.001 and 0.01 respectively), genital tract alterations ( p < 0.05) and poor semen quality ( p < 0.001). Seropositive rams presented significantly more genital tract alterations ( p < 0.001) and a poor seminal score ( p < 0.001) than seronegative rams.

          Conclusions

          Since semen culture is not routinely feasible in field conditions, a control plan of CE should be based, where Rev.1 vaccination is not possible, on both systematic clinical and serological examination of rams, followed by the culling of seropositive and/or genital tract alterations carrier rams.

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          Most cited references27

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          Evaluation in mice of Brucella ovis attenuated mutants for use as live vaccines against B. ovis infection

          Brucella ovis causes ram contagious epididymitis, a disease for which a specific vaccine is lacking. Attenuated Brucella melitensis Rev 1, used as vaccine against ovine and caprine brucellosis caused by B. melitensis, is also considered the best vaccine available for the prophylaxis of B. ovis infection, but its use for this purpose has serious drawbacks. In this work, two previously characterized B. ovis attenuated mutants (Δomp25d and Δomp22) were evaluated in mice, in comparison with B. melitensis Rev 1, as vaccines against B. ovis. Similarities, but also significant differences, were found regarding the immune response induced by the three vaccines. Mice vaccinated with the B. ovis mutants developed anti-B. ovis antibodies in serum of the IgG1, IgG2a and IgG2b subclasses and their levels were higher than those observed in Rev 1-vaccinated mice. After an antigen stimulus with B. ovis cells, splenocytes obtained from all vaccinated mice secreted similar levels of TNF-α and IL12(p40) and remarkably high amounts of IFN-γ, a crucial cytokine in protective immunity against other Brucella species. By contrast, IL-1α -an enhancer of T cell responses to antigen- was present at higher levels in mice vaccinated with the B. ovis mutants, while IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, was significantly more abundant in Rev 1-vaccinated mice. Additionally, the B. ovis mutants showed appropriate persistence, limited splenomegaly and protective efficacy against B. ovis similar to that observed with B. melitensis Rev 1. These characteristics encourage their evaluation in the natural host as homologous vaccines for the specific prophylaxis of B. ovis infection.
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            Control of Brucella ovis infection in sheep.

            Approach to control of Brucella ovis would vary in different countries and areas depending on farm and flock characteristics and economic factors. Eradication by a test-and-slaughter approach is the most desirable option in areas where it is logistically and financially feasible. Vaccination is used in areas with a high incidence of infection where eradication would be difficult. Voluntary accreditation programs have been established in some countries and are of particular benefit to pedigree ram breeders. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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              Mutants in the lipopolysaccharide of Brucella ovis are attenuated and protect against B. ovis infection in mice

              Brucella spp. are Gram-negative bacteria that behave as facultative intracellular parasites of a variety of mammals. This genus includes smooth (S) and rough (R) species that carry S and R lipopolysaccharides (LPS), respectively. S-LPS is a virulence factor, and mutants affected in the S-LPS O-polysaccharide (R mutants), core oligosaccharide or both show attenuation. However, B. ovis is naturally R and is virulent in sheep. We studied the role of B. ovis LPS in virulence by mutating the orthologues of wadA, wadB and wadC, three genes known to encode LPS core glycosyltransferases in S brucellae. When mapped with antibodies to outer membrane proteins (Omps) and R-LPS, wadB and wadC mutants displayed defects in LPS structure and outer membrane topology but inactivation of wadA had little or no effect. Consistent with these observations, the wadB and wadC but not the wadA mutants were attenuated in mice. When tested as vaccines, the wadB and wadC mutants protected mice against B. ovis challenge. The results demonstrate that the LPS core is a structure essential for survival in vivo not only of S brucellae but also of a naturally R Brucella pathogenic species, and they confirm our previous hypothesis that the Brucella LPS core is a target for vaccine development. Since vaccine B. melitensis Rev 1 is S and thus interferes in serological testing for S brucellae, wadB mutant represents a candidate vaccine to be evaluated against B. ovis infection of sheep suitable for areas free of B. melitensis.
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                Author and article information

                Contributors
                n.hagen-picard@envt.fr
                x.berthelot@envt.fr
                jlucchampion@yahoo.fr
                l.eon@bouches-du-rhone.chambagri.fr
                f.lyazrhi@envt.fr
                m.marois.gds04@gmail.com
                marcelinepeglion@gmail.com
                a.schuster_08@envt.fr
                c.trouche_08@envt.fr
                bruno.garin-bastuji@anses.fr
                Journal
                BMC Vet Res
                BMC Vet. Res
                BMC Veterinary Research
                BioMed Central (London )
                1746-6148
                30 May 2015
                30 May 2015
                2015
                : 11
                : 125
                Affiliations
                [ ]Université de Toulouse, INP-ENVT, UMR 1331-Toxalim, F-31076 Toulouse, France
                [ ]Université de Toulouse, INP-ENVT, UMR 1225-IHAP and UMT Maîtrise de la santé des troupeaux de petits ruminants, F-31076 Toulouse, France
                [ ]Groupement de Défense Sanitaire des Alpes de Haute Provence, F-04000 Digne les Bains, France
                [ ]Groupement de Défense Sanitaire des Bouches du Rhône, F-13626 Aix en Provence, France
                [ ]Université de Toulouse, INP-ENVT, Unité de Biostatistiques, F-31076 Toulouse, France
                [ ]Fédération Régionale des Groupements de Défense Sanitaire Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur, F-04100 Manosque, France
                [ ]Paris-Est University/French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), EU/OIE/FAO Brucellosis Reference Laboratory, 94701 Maisons-Alfort, France
                [ ]Present Address: ANSES, European & International Affairs Department, 14 rue Pierre et Marie Curie, F-94701 Maisons-Alfort, Cedex France
                Article
                440
                10.1186/s12917-015-0440-7
                4449566
                26025374
                cba3040a-1b93-4f15-bf77-09a37aa49b14
                © PICARD-HAGEN et al.; licensee BioMed Central. 2015

                This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver ( http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.

                History
                : 8 January 2015
                : 18 May 2015
                Categories
                Research Article
                Custom metadata
                © The Author(s) 2015

                Veterinary medicine
                brucella ovis,semen,sheep,genital disease
                Veterinary medicine
                brucella ovis, semen, sheep, genital disease

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