• Vaccine Name: C. botulinum FHc protein vaccine
• Target Pathogen: Clostridium botulinum
• Target Disease: Botulism
• Vaccine Ontology ID: VO_0011504
• Type: Subunit vaccine
• Status: Research
• Antigen: C. botulinum FHc
• FHc gene engineering:
  • Type: Recombinant protein preparation
  • Description: A new gene encoding the Hc domain of Clostridium botulinum neurotoxin serotype F (FHc) was designed and completely synthesized with oligonucleotides. A soluble recombinant Hc of C. botulinum neurotoxin serotype F was highly expressed in Escherichia coli with this synthetic FHc gene (Yu et al., 2008).
  • Detailed Gene Information: Click Here.
• Adjuvant:
  • Adjuvant name:
  • VO adjuvant ID: VO_0000139
• Immunization Route: Subcutaneous injection

Mouse Response

• Host Strain: BALB/c
• Vaccination Protocol: Female BALB/c mice (specific pathogen free), 6 weeks of age, were randomly assigned to different groups. In the first vaccination study, groups of six mice were vaccinated with 1 or 10 μg of FHc. The FHc protein in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) was mixed 50:50 with complete Freund adjuvant (Sigma) for the first vaccination and with incomplete Freund adjuvant (Sigma) for the second or third vaccinations. Each mouse was treated with 0.4 ml of the material in either two (days 0 and 14) or three vaccinations (days 0, 14, and 28) via the subcutaneous route. Each vaccination group was repeated once. In the second vaccination study, groups of six mice were vaccinated intramuscularly (i.e., in each thigh quadriceps bilaterally) with either one, two, or three doses of 0.04, 0.2, 1, or 5 μg of FHc. Vaccine was diluted in 25% (vol/vol) Alhydrogel (Sigma), and injections were administered at 3-week intervals (100 μl/injection). For a negative control, PBS instead of the antigen was mixed with the adjuvant. The mice were tail bled for sera before each immunization or neurotoxin challenge (Yu et al., 2008).
• Challenge Protocol: Mice were challenged intraperitoneally (i.p.) with 2 × 10^3 or 2 × 10^4 50% lethal doses (LD50) of BoNT/F (Langeland strain, from the National Institute for the Control of Pharmaceutical and Biological Products) 2 weeks after the last vaccination. The mice were observed for 1 week, and death or survival was recorded (Yu et al., 2008).
• Efficacy: Purified FHc was used to vaccinate mice and evaluate their survival against challenge with active botulinum neurotoxin serotype F (BoNT/F). Mice that received one injection of 5 microg or two injections of >or=0.04 microg of FHc were completely protected (Yu et al., 2008).