Oral immunization of broiler chickens against necrotic enteritis with an attenuated Salmonella vaccine vector expressing Clostridium perfringens antigens

Necrotic enteritis (NE) in broiler chickens is caused by Clostridium perfringens but currently no effective vaccine is available. Our previous study showed that certain C. perfringens secreted proteins when administered intramuscularly protected chickens against experimental infection. In the current study, genes encoding three C. perfringens proteins: fructose-biphosphate-aldolase (FBA), pyruvate:ferredoxin-oxidoreductase (PFOR) and hypothetical protein (HP), were cloned into an avirulent Salmonella enterica sv. typhimurium vaccine vector. Broiler chickens immunized orally with recombinant Salmonella expressing FBA or HP proteins were significantly protected against NE challenge. Immunized birds developed serum and mucosal antibodies to both clostridial and Salmonella antigens. This study showed the oral immunizing ability of two C. perfringens antigens against NE in broiler chickens through an attenuated Salmonella vaccine vector.