Comparison of antigens of Pasteurella haemolytica serotype 1 grown in vitro and in vivo.

To determine whether antigenic differences exist in Pasteurella haemolytica serotype 1 grown in different culture conditions, the bacteria was grown on solid enriched medium, in broth culture, and in tissue chambers subcutaneously implanted in the flanks of calves. The organisms obtained by each culture method were comparable with respect to encapsulation and lipopolysaccharide content. In the bacteria grown in vivo, several unique high molecular-mass (greater than 150 kDa) protein antigens were found by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and protein immunoblotting. Bacteria grown in vitro had higher concentrations of a 49- and a 26-kDa protein than the organisms grown in vivo. The concentration of several major proteins (30, 42, 55, 71, and 100 kDa) were similar among the organisms grown by the three cultural conditions. Although the high molecular-mass antigens were unique for the chamber-grown bacteria, they were recognized by serum from a calf that had been vaccinated with formalin-killed, solid medium-grown P haemolytica and were resistant to challenge exposure with the live organism. This recognition of antigens by serum from the P haemolytica-resistant calf that had been vaccinated with solid-medium-grown bacterium, indicates that the high molecular-mass antigens from chamber-grown P haemolytica may be precursors of or share antigenic determinants with other P haemolytica proteins and may not be important for consideration in vaccine formulation.