Publication: Determination of humoral immune response in mice immunised with milk expressing three-tb epitopes
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Date
2025-01
Authors
Martin, Patricia Jane Wilfred
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Abstract
Tuberculosis (TB) continues to pose significant global health challenges despite the widespread use of the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine. However, its limitations in inducing robust mucosal immunity, especially in adults, necessitate alternative approaches. This study explores the potential of a novel oral vaccine utilizing milk containing multi-epitope TB antigens. This study investigates the humoral immune response elicited in Balb/c mice immunized with milk containing multi-epitope tuberculosis antigens. These antigens which are Ag85B, Acr, and RpfE were expressed in goat milk with a secretory IgA fusion construct designed to produce milk containing multi-epitope TB:IgA to enhance mucosal immunity. The mices were immunized with five treatment groups which are Milk Daily (MD), Normal Milk (NM), BCG only (BCG-O), BCG + Milk Daily (BCG-MD), and BCG + Normal Milk (BCG-NM) to assess immune responses against three Mycobacterium tuberculosis epitopes. Two weeks post-immunization, serum, saliva, and BAL fluid samples were collected for analysis. ELISA plates were coated with the respective antigens to measure antigen-specific IgA and IgG levels. Optical density (OD) readings were used to quantify immune responses, and statistical analysis was conducted to determine significant differences between treatment groups. The immunized mice groups, including BCG and milk combinations, demonstrated varying levels of systemic IgG and mucosal IgA antibodies in serum, saliva, and bronchoalveolar lavage samples. Among the treatment groups, the milk-based vaccine candidate elicited robust antigen-specific IgG and IgA responses, indicating its potential for providing targeted immunity. These findings indicate the vaccine's potential to address key challenges of TB prevention, particularly in targeting mucosal surfaces which is the primary site of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. This study highlights the promise of oral mucosal vaccines as a complementary or alternative strategy to intradermal BCG vaccination, aiming to enhance protection and control TB more effectively. Future research and clinical trials are needed to validate these findings and further optimize this innovative vaccine approach
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