Protection of chickens by ribosomal vaccines from Pasteurella multocida: dependence on homologous lipopolysaccharide.

Chickens were protected against fowl cholera by ribosomal vaccines prepared from noncapsulated Pasteurella multocida. Passive hemagglutination (PHA) titers to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and the degree of protection conferred by ribosomal vaccines were diminished or abolished when ribosomes were chromatographed on an immunoadsorbent column. Addition of subimmunogenic amounts of serotype 1 (homologous) LPS to highly purified ribosomes resulted in vaccines that protected against challenge exposure and produced PHA titers to homologous LPS. Addition of serotype 5 LPS to highly purified ribosomes did not protect chickens against challenge exposure with serotype 1 P multocida, but produced PHA titers to serotype 5 LPS. Combinations of serotype 1 ribosomal RNA and serotype 1 (homologous) LPS did not protect chickens or produce PHA titers to LPS. Purified ribosomes from Brucella abortus, Aspergillus fumigatus, and chicken liver were combined with LPS from P multocida and were evaluated as vaccines. Brucella abortus and A fumigatus ribosomes combined with LPS protected chickens as well as did bacterin made from whole cells of P multocida. Chicken liver ribosomes combined with LPS did not provide protection. To determine whether a protein carrier would substitute for ribosomes, methylated bovine albumin (MBA) was combined with LPS and evaluated as a vaccine. A serologic response to LPS was induced by MBA-LPS vaccine, but the vaccine offered no better protection than when LPS was used alone as vaccine. Ribosome-LPS vaccines produced serologic responses to LPS that were at least 5-fold greater than those produced by MBA-LPS vaccine.