Vaccination of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) with Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette Guerín

Abstract

Wildlife reservoirs of Mycobacterium bovis represent serious obstacles to the eradication of tuberculosis in domestic livestock. In Michigan, USA tuberculous white-tailed deer transmit M. bovis to cattle. One approach in dealing with this wildlife reservoir is to vaccinate deer in order to interrupt the cycle of deer to deer and deer to cattle transmission. Thirty-one white-tailed deer were assigned to one of three groups; 2 SC doses of 10 7 CFU of M. bovis BCG (n = 11); 1 SC dose of 10 7 CFU of M. bovis BCG (n = 10); or unvaccinated deer (n = 10). After vaccination, deer were inoculated intratonsilarly with 300 CFU of virulent M. bovis. Gross lesion severity scores of the medial retropharyngeal lymph node were significantly reduced in deer receiving 2 doses of BCG compared to unvaccinated deer. Vaccinated deer had fewer lymph node granulomas than unvaccinated deer, and most notably, fewer late stage granulomas characterized by coalescent caseonecrotic granulomas containing numerous acid-fast bacilli. BCG was isolated from 7/21 vaccinated deer as long as 249 days after vaccination. In one case BCG was transmitted from a vaccinated deer to an unvaccinated deer. In white-tailed deer BCG provides measurable protection against challenge with virulent M. bovis. However, persistence of vaccine within tissues as well as shedding of BCG from vaccinates remain areas for further investigation. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

T-Cell mRNA Expression in Response toMycobacterium bovisBCG Vaccination andMycobacterium bovisInfection of White-Tailed Deer

“…Vaccination of WTD with the M. bovis BCG strain Danish (20) or BCG strain Pasteur (23) has been shown to be efficacious as measured by a reduction in pathology (24). To deter-mine T-cell-mediated responses induced by vaccination with these BCG strains and to correlate these responses to protection/pathology, WTD were vaccinated with either BCG Danish or BCG Pasteur and subsequently infected with virulent M. bovis.…”

Testing a molasses-based bait for oral vaccination of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) against Mycobacterium bovis

“…Delivery of the ONRAB(®) vaccine in baits has been used widely across the USA and Canada to control rabies in raccoons (Procyon lotor) (Roess et al 2012, Slate et al 2009). Experimentally, oral vaccination of white-tailed deer with the human vaccine, bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), an attenuated strain of M. bovis, effectively reduces the severity of disease upon challenge with virulent M. bovis (Palmer et al 2007;Nol et al 2008). Oral vaccination of deer with BCG represents a possible control strategy in areas of highest prevalence, to reduce deer-to-deer and deer-to-cattle transmission of M. bovis.…”

Humoral Immune Responses of White-Tailed Deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) to Mycobacterium bovis BCG Vaccination and Experimental Challenge with M. bovis

“…However, BTb continues to maintain a low-level presence in the wild deer population. The inclusion of effective field vaccination as part of disease management efforts in deer herds with endemic BTb would significantly aid in efforts to eradicate BTb from this potential wildlife reservoir (14,16).Vaccination with M. bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) via the oral or the parenteral route is effective in protecting white-tailed deer from disease caused by experimental M. bovis infection (14,16). An important component of the evaluation of any vaccine candidate is gaining an understanding of the dynamics of a recipient's immunologic response to vaccination and infection over time in comparison with the dynamics of the response in unvaccinated subjects (3,19,22).…”

“…However, BTb continues to maintain a low-level presence in the wild deer population. The inclusion of effective field vaccination as part of disease management efforts in deer herds with endemic BTb would significantly aid in efforts to eradicate BTb from this potential wildlife reservoir (14,16).…”

“…Vaccination with M. bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) via the oral or the parenteral route is effective in protecting white-tailed deer from disease caused by experimental M. bovis infection (14,16). An important component of the evaluation of any vaccine candidate is gaining an understanding of the dynamics of a recipient's immunologic response to vaccination and infection over time in comparison with the dynamics of the response in unvaccinated subjects (3,19,22).…”