Passive immunisation of fish against vibriosis, comparison of intraperitoneal, oral and immersion routes

Passive immunisation of fish was conducted to determine whether anti-Vibrio anguillarum whole sera (AVA) and affinity-purified AVA raised in sheep, rabbits and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were persistent when injected and orally administered into rainbow trout. These responses were compared with active immunisation by immersion in, and intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection with, formalin-killed V. anguillarum cells. Sheep and rabbit AVA were detected in rainbow trout sera for up to 70 days (half-life similar to 21 days) after i.p. injection as determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The relative percentage survival (RPS) of passively immunised rainbow trout challenged with virulent V. anguillarum after an injection was comparable to that of active immunisation by immersion after 1 month post-immunisation (p.i). Affinity-purified sheep and rabbit AVA exhibited the same protective potential as whole serum in rainbow trout. Rabbit and sheep immune sera diluted 1:8 and 1:50, respectively, provided equivalent protection as undiluted fish immune serum. An active immune response against passively acquired heterologous immunoglobulins was demonstrated by ELISA, with responses against sheep AVA being less than those against rabbit AVA. Rainbow trout given purified sheep AVA conjugated to LTB (the GM-l-binding subunit of Escherichia coli heat-labile toxin) and administered orally had an RPS of 37.5% at 15 days and 27% at 1 month p.i. In contrast, fish given sheep AVA conjugated to TraT tan internal membrane of E. coli) or in micellar form with Quil-A had RPSs of only 18.7 and 6.2%, respectively, after 15 days, and 13.3 and 0% after 1 month, respectively. The protection conferred by immune sera was shown to be due to the immunoglobulin component alone. Heat inactivation of the complement in sera had no effect on the potency of immune sera. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.