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F Thiaucourt

Publications and source records attributed to F Thiaucourt.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

ISCOM vaccine against contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP). 1. Biochemical and immunological characterization.

A better vaccine than the existing ones against contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) caused by Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides small colony type (MmmSC) would improve the chances for eradication of CBPP. In such an effort, immunostimulating complexes (ISCOMS) have been prepared from the whole detergent-solubilized cells of MmmSC and characterized biochemically and immunologically. The most efficient detergent for solubilization of the mycoplasma was MEGA-10 which yielded a high recovery of proteins in the ISCOMS. The ISCOMS showed the typical cage-like structure by EM and sedimented as 19S by sucrose gradient centrifugation. The protein pattern of the ISCOMS, analyzed in SDS-PAGE, revealed a great number of bands distributed along the gel as high and low molecular weight polypeptides. The Western blot developed with a serum from a CBPP infected animal detected a reduced number of polypeptides. In samples from whole mycoplasma cells and in ISCOMS, lectin blots revealed more than 20 carbohydrate structures. The ISCOMS induced a strong primary antibody response in mice measured by ELISA and the boost resulted in a 6-fold increase of the serum antibody response. The IgG response was distributed into various IgG subclasses with high IgG1, IgG2a and IgG2b titres while the IgG3 response was low. In cattle the ISCOM vaccine induced strong primary and long lasting secondary antibody responses of similar magnitudes as those of naturally infected animals as recorded by ELISA which persisted more than a year. IgG response was equally distributed in IgG1 and IgG2 subclasses. Also a cell-mediated immune response measured by proliferation assay was induced by low dose of ISCOMS. In the growth inhibition test, sera from vaccinated cattle readily inhibited colony growth already after the first immunization.

Animals

Diagnosis and control of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia.

The diagnosis of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) has often been considered difficult. This is because of the confusion that can arise with other mycoplasmoses of small ruminants. Symptoms and lesions can be similar and the isolation of M. capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae (MccF38) requires skilled technicians. Once MccF38 strains are isolated, their identification should not be difficult. New techniques, such as polymerase chain reaction, now offer the possibility of identifying MccF38 directly from dried samples. However, the isolation of MccF38 strains is always required for an official declaration of infection. Until now, the official serological test has been the complement fixation test; the main drawbacks being lack of sensitivity and specificity and also the short persistence of antibodies detected by this technique. The specific competition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay has now been developed and should enable wide serological enquiries to determine the real prevalence of the disease. Antibiotic treatments are effective but may not prevent persistence in latent carriers. An inactivated vaccine with saponin as an adjuvant has been produced in Kenya, which protects goats for approximately one year.

Animals

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia and other pulmonary mycoplasmoses of sheep and goats.

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is now a well-defined disease that is caused by Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capripneumoniae. CCPP is infectious, contagious and fulfils the classic Koch postulates that characterise such types of disease. The distribution of the disease is not exactly known, but reports of mycoplasma isolation and official declarations to the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) enable a probable distribution map to be obtained. There are many other mycoplasmas that can infect goat and sheep lungs and induce pleuropneumonia. However, pleuropneumonia is often restricted to young animals and the prominent symptom is mastitis in lactating does. Other symptoms may also occur, contributing to a syndrome that has been tentatively described in this paper as 'MAKePS syndrome' for mastitis, arthritis, keratitis, pneumonia and septicaemia.

Animals

Insertion element IS1296 in Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides small colony identifies a European clonal line distinct from African and Australian strains.

Strains of Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides small colony (SC) type, the agent of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), were analysed with respect to the polymorphism of distribution of a newly discovered insertion element, IS1296, on the chromosome. Analysis of 64 strains isolated from Europe, Africa and Australia, including four vaccine strains and the type strain PG1, revealed ten different IS patterns, forming two main clusters. The European strains originated from outbreaks of CBPP in different countries, and from various other sources such as semen and preputial washings from cattle, lungs from goats and buffalo, and milk from sheep. They showed identical IS1296 patterns, except one strain which had an additional IS1296 element, but the pattern belonged to the same cluster. This shows that the strains from Europe form a clonal lineage. The strains originating from different geographical parts of the African continent and from Australia showed four closely related IS1296 patterns which belong to a separate cluster. This indicates that strains from Africa and Australia form a clonal lineage different from that of the European strains, suggesting that the sporadic cases of CBPP that have re-emerged in Europe almost 15 years after the last declared endemic case in 1967 arose from an established reservoir within Europe rather than being the result of repeated importation from Africa and Australia. While most strains from Africa and Australia had the same IS1296 pattern, all vaccine strains could be distinguished by an individual pattern. The type strain PG1 also had a particular IS1296 pattern which belongs to the cluster of the strains from Africa and Australia. The molecular definition of clonality of M. mycoides subsp. mycoides SC strains with IS1296 represents a rapid and reproducible method for subtyping and differentiation of vaccine strains. It permits at the present time the definition of two main clonal lines, one including the strains from the European continent and a second with strains from Africa and Australia.

Africa

The use of monoclonal antibodies in the diagnosis of contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP).

Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia is a severe disease affecting goats in Eastern Africa and the Middle East, caused by Mycoplasma sp. type F38. Its exact geographical distribution is however not exactly known due to the lack of specificity of the available serological tests and the difficulty in cultivating M. sp. F38. A panel of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) was produced, using crude or membrane proteins antigens from type F38 strains to immunize mice. The reactivity of the mAbs was tested by an immunobinding assay with crude mycoplasma antigens spotted on nitrocellulose filters. One hundred and twelve antigens, standardized at 0.5 mg protein/ml, were used. Mycoplasma strains were chosen among closely related species of the "mycoides cluster", M. capricolum, Group 7 of Leach, M. mycoides mycoides LC, M. mycoides mycoides SC, M. mycoides capri, as well as among species that are isolated from goat lungs, M. arginini, M. ovipneumoniae, M. putrefaciens, M. agalactiae. Out of 60 mAbs, 4 were chosen to build an identification test for mycoplasmas of the "mycoides cluster". Controls showed that accurate identification could be hampered by antigenic heterogeneity within the M. capricolum species. One mAb was used for the direct detection of M. sp. F38 antigen in pleural fluid from goats suspected of CCPP. The sensitivity of the test can be estimated at 0.5 micrograms protein/ml. Comparison with isolation results show a 74% agreement between the two methods. The same mAb was used to build a blocking ELISA. This serological test was strictly specific for CCPP. It detects antibodies in sera of naturally infected or artificially immunized animals while it remained negative with hyperimmune sera to related strains such as PG 50. Direct antigen detection and blocking ELISA are tools that may enable a better assessment of CCPP distribution.

Animals

Field diagnostic kits: a solution for developing countries?

An exact assessment of the animal health situation in a country is an essential element in formulating eradication and control programmes, and in regulating international trade in animals and animal products from that country. Due to a lack of human and technical resources, Veterinary Services in developing countries often lack precise knowledge on disease occurrence. Since the collection and transmission of reliable information on animal diseases in developing countries are major concerns of the Office International des Epizooties (OIE), a project aimed at improving this situation was implemented with international financial support. This project involved the development by the Centre for the Application of Methodology for the Diagnosis of Animal Diseases (CAMDA) of field kits for the diagnosis of the main diseases present in tropical Africa: rinderpest, peste des petits ruminants (PPR), contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) and contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP). Several tests already exist, such as complement deoxyribonucleic acid (cDNA)-specific probes and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for rinderpest and PPR, DNA probes and PCR for CBPP, capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the agglutination test and the immunobinding peroxidase test for CCPP, etc. With specific reference to these examples, the various problems faced by the OIE and CAMDA are reviewed.

Animals

A new microtitration method for the enumeration of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) vaccines.

A new method is proposed for the microtitration of CBPP vaccines by performing eight parallel endpoint two-fold dilutions. When performed on a 96-well plate, it gives a titre with a precision of +/- 0.2 log10. By comparison, the established method, performed in tubes, gives a precision of only +/- 0.6 log10. The adaptation to microtitre plates allows much more economical culture of larger numbers of samples. Statistical analysis permits determination of vial-to-vial homogeneity of a batch and calculation of a titre with a precision of +/- 0.09 log10. The new method may be applied for the titration of mycoplasmas.

Bacterial Vaccines

[Diagnosis of caprine contagious pleuropneumonia: recent improvements].

Due to the difficulty in isolating Mycoplasma sp. type F38, two techniques for rapid detection are proposed in order to identify the presence of mycoplasmas of the mycoides group in samples of pleural fluid. A modification in the composition of isolation media promotes the growth of type F38 mycoplasmas and inhibits the growth of M. ovipneumoniae strains.

Animals

[On the titration of vaccines against pleuropneumonia. A new approach to an old problem, preliminary studies].

A new technique is proposed for the titration of live vaccines against contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP). Presently, the one most widely used, combines a set of tenfold dilutions with the seeding of five tubes with samples taken from each of these latter. This technique is not very accurate or it requires a great number of tubes to increase its accuracy. The new technique starts with the same tenfold dilutions but after a relevant dilution, samples of 100 microliters are put into the eight wells of the first column of a microtitration plate and then with "glucose" medium. After a 6 to 9 days incubation time, the growth can be recorded by an indicator change of color. This technique is much faster and seems to be more precise. Furthermore the eight parallel titrations enable the results to be expressed by means and comparison of results can be statistically meaningful.

Animals