ABSTRACTGallibacterium anatisis a pathogen associated with peritonitis and salpingitis in chickens and other avian species. Novel safety prevention strategies are urgently needed because of widespread multidrug resistance and antigenic diversity. The objective of this study was to produce a specific chicken egg yolk antibody and evaluate its protective response against aG. anatisinfection model in 4-week-old chicks. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays showed that hens immunized with the recombinant N terminus ofGallibacteriumtoxin A (GtxA-N) had significantly increased antibody titers against GtxA-N in serum and egg yolk IgY. Western blotting showed that IgY antibody had specificity against GtxA-N in the egg yolks of immunized hens. The growth ofG. anatisin brain heart infusion (BHI) broth and agar was significantly inhibited by the GtxA-N-specific IgY antibody. The protective effects of the specific IgY antibody were evaluated inG. anatis-infected chicks after intramuscular injection (10 mg/ml). The anti-GtxA-N antibody titers in the sera ofG. anatis-challenged chicks following an injection of specific IgY antibody were significantly higher than those of the control and the nonspecific IgY groups, but lower lesion scores for the peritoneum, liver, and duodenum were found after specific IgY antibody treatment. The results from this study suggest that the GtxA-N-specific IgY antibody could potentially improve the protective response againstG. anatisinfection in chicks.
In vitro studies of chicken egg yolk antibody (IgY) against Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella typhimurium
