Protection in alpacas against Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis using different bacterial components

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis is a Gram positive bacterium that produces caseous lymphadenitis in sheep and goats, and a granulomatous lymphadenitis in llamas and alpacas. To evaluate the immune potential of different doses of cell wall and toxin components of C. pseudotuberculosis from alpaca origin, 12 adult alpacas were allotted at random to four groups, and SC inoculated in the left flank with vaccines composed of low and high doses of bacterial crude antigens, cell wall: 250 and 500 μg/ml and toxin: 133 and 265 μg/ml, respectively. The vaccines were supplemented with 20 μg/ml of muramyl dipeptide as adjuvant. Three alpacas were sham inoculated with adjuvant as a control. After 3 weeks, immunized and naive alpacas were challenged intradermally in the right flank with 1 × 106 colony forming units (CFU) of C. pseudotuberculosis. The alpacas were sacrificed at days 28, 58 and 112 after inoculation, and the degree of protection induced by vaccines was demonstrated by the absence of abscesses and/or bacteria. The alpacas vaccinated with high dose of toxin, did not show abscesses. In contrast, the alpacas vaccinated with a low dose of toxin showed abscesses at the inoculation site, regional, and renal lymph nodes. The cell wall vaccinated alpacas showed a lesser degree of protection than the other groups with superficial and internal abscesses. The control alpacas had persistent fever and abscesses at the inoculation site, regional, and internal lymph nodes. In addition, a robust and early humoral response was observed in all vaccinated alpacas after challenge, lasting at least 3 months. The results suggest that the toxin of C. pseudotuberculosis is a very important antigen, inducing a dose dependant protective immunity against this bacterium in alpacas.