Isolation of Moraxella bovis ribosomes and their subsequent use in a vaccine against infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis.

A study was conducted to determine whether a Moraxella bovis ribosomal vaccine would protect calves from infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK). Each of 16 calves were given 2 inoculations 21 days apart. Twenty-one days after the 2nd inoculation, 8 of the calves were challenge exposed with a homologous strain culture and 8 calves were challenge exposed to a heterologous strain culture of M bovis. Sedimentation velocity analysis of the ribosomes used in this study indicated that they were mostly 30S and 50S subunits. Chemical assays indicated that the ribosomes were composed of 64% to 65% RNA and 35% to 36% protein. The cesium chloride buoyant density of the ribosomes was 1.62 g/ml. Ribosomes used as antigen gave 1 line of precipitation in a gel-diffusion precipitin test with hyperimmune serum against the whole-cell antigen of the homologous strain of M bovis. The eyes of all the experimentally exposed calves became infected and all calves developed clinical signs of either unilateral or bilateral IBK. None of the sera of the vaccinated calves had detectable precipitins against the ribosomal antigen at the time they were challenge exposed, but most of the sera had precipitins against whole-cell and pilus antigens. The results indicate that M bovis ribosomes, although similar to other bacterial ribosomes, did not protect cattle against IBK.