Re-Investigating Method of Pink Eye Vaccination
Project Title
Safety and Immunogenicity of an Ocular Vaccine Delivery Vehicle
Researchers
Dr. Philip Griebel University of Saskatchewan and VIDO-Intervac [email protected]
Dr. Suresh Tikoo, University of Saskatchewan and VIDO-Intervac
| Status | Project Code |
|---|---|
| Completed July, 2022 | POC.02.20 |
Background
In most cases pink-eye occurs sporadically in herds, but outbreaks with a high case incidence do happen. These outbreaks have large animal health, labor, and cost implications. Currently available pink-eye vaccines aren’t effective for disease prevention. This team has previously examined the commercial pink eye vaccine available in Canada and found that this subcutaneously injected vaccine fails to induce an immune response in the eye against the targeted pathogens.
Objectives
- Determine if a novel vaccine delivery vehicle can be used to safely deliver vaccine antigens to the eye of young calves and induce increased antibody secretion in tears.
What they Did
This group went back to the drawing board to see if changing the vaccine delivery method from the injectable to an eyedrop can improve the capacity of the pink eye vaccine to induce protective antibody responses in the eye. This study addressed two specific questions. First, is the novel eyedrop vaccine delivery safe to use or does it cause inflammation in the eye? Second, does delivery of the vaccine directly to the eye induce a local vaccine- specific immune response? Two different doses of the vaccine delivery vehicle was delivered to the eyes of four, one-month old calves. Eyes were monitored for inflammation or other signs of injury and tears were collected to measure specific antibody responses. A second dose of the vaccine will was then delivered 4 weeks later and immune responses were monitored for another two weeks.
What you Learned
This project determined if delivering vaccines directly to the eye is a safe and effective alternative to current pink-eye vaccines that are injected subcutaneously. This will not result in a new vaccine on the market but if it works will get us one step closer to developing and testing a vaccine that is effective against pink eye.