Reducing antibiotic usage in pig herds: controlling Lawsonia intracellularis by vaccination, housing and hygiene. Pigs are major consumers of antibiotics in Australia. Many of these antibiotics are fed to pigs to prevent proliferative enteritis (PE). There are increasing public concerns regarding the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the potential impact on human health. The adoption of an effective commercial vaccine to prevent PE will reduce the volume of antibiotics ....Reducing antibiotic usage in pig herds: controlling Lawsonia intracellularis by vaccination, housing and hygiene. Pigs are major consumers of antibiotics in Australia. Many of these antibiotics are fed to pigs to prevent proliferative enteritis (PE). There are increasing public concerns regarding the development and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the potential impact on human health. The adoption of an effective commercial vaccine to prevent PE will reduce the volume of antibiotics used in the pig industry and hence reduce the risk of antibiotic-resistant bacteria developing.Read moreRead less
Recombinant probiotics for prevention of enteric infections in piglets. Shigatoxigenic and enterotoxigenic strains of Escherichia coli cause severe diarrhoeal disease and oedema disease in piglets. The resultant morbidity and mortality is a major cause of financial loss to the pig industry both in Australia and overseas. We have conceived a highly novel approach to prevention of these diseases involving molecular mimicry of host receptors for the E. coli toxins and adhesins on the surface of a ....Recombinant probiotics for prevention of enteric infections in piglets. Shigatoxigenic and enterotoxigenic strains of Escherichia coli cause severe diarrhoeal disease and oedema disease in piglets. The resultant morbidity and mortality is a major cause of financial loss to the pig industry both in Australia and overseas. We have conceived a highly novel approach to prevention of these diseases involving molecular mimicry of host receptors for the E. coli toxins and adhesins on the surface of a harmless bacterium. Oral administration of this agent to piglets has the potential to bind free toxins in the gut and prevent colonization of the intestines by the pathogens, thereby preventing disease.Read moreRead less
Vaccine against leptospirosis. This project will utilise the information from the determination of the complete genome sequence of Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar Hardjobovis at Monash University. Bioinformatics analysis will be used to allow a global approach to identify all putative vaccine antigens which will be cloned, expressed and purified and their protective capacity investigated.
Understanding the molecular basis of virulence in Brachyspira hyodysenteriae to improve vaccine design. Swine dysentery is a colonic infection of pigs caused by Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. The disease is widespread in Australia and causes great economic loss. An effective vaccine is not available. This study aims to identify factors associated with the bacterium's virulence, using comparative genomic and proteomic information. Virulence factors then will be targeted and tested as recombinant vac ....Understanding the molecular basis of virulence in Brachyspira hyodysenteriae to improve vaccine design. Swine dysentery is a colonic infection of pigs caused by Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. The disease is widespread in Australia and causes great economic loss. An effective vaccine is not available. This study aims to identify factors associated with the bacterium's virulence, using comparative genomic and proteomic information. Virulence factors then will be targeted and tested as recombinant vaccine candidates. This project will result in the development of an improved vaccine to control swine dysentery in rural Australia. Control of swine dysentery through vaccination will reduce antibiotic use on infected farms and improve the productivity and competitiveness of the Australian pig industry.Read moreRead less
Proteomics and vaccine development in swine dysentery. Swine dysentery is an infectious disease of significant economic importance caused by Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. There is no effective vaccine available. This project will combine modern techniques in microbial genomics and proteomics to identify outer membrane proteins of B. hyodysenteriae and evaluate their role as candidate vaccine antigens.
Genomic sequencing and comparative genomic analysis for animal bacterial vaccine discovery. The aim of this project is to develop vaccines for the control of swine dysentery (pigs) and intestinal spirochaetosis (pigs and chickens). These infections cause important production-limiting diseases for which no effective vaccines are available. We will use whole genomic sequencing of the two causal species of intestinal spirochaetal bacteria, with a bioinformatics-based analysis of the data to identif ....Genomic sequencing and comparative genomic analysis for animal bacterial vaccine discovery. The aim of this project is to develop vaccines for the control of swine dysentery (pigs) and intestinal spirochaetosis (pigs and chickens). These infections cause important production-limiting diseases for which no effective vaccines are available. We will use whole genomic sequencing of the two causal species of intestinal spirochaetal bacteria, with a bioinformatics-based analysis of the data to identify potential cell surface structures that will be tested as the basis of new recombinant vaccines. Outcomes will include the development of new commercial products, increased institutional capacity in veterinary vaccine discovery, and ultimately improved animal health and production in rural Australia.Read moreRead less
Novel vaccines and serotyping scheme for Haemophilus parasuis. Glasser's disease, caused by the bacterium Haemophilus parasuis, is a significant problem in Australian and overseas pig industries. Current approaches to the management of Glassers disease utilise antibacterials and also vaccines. However, antibacterials are of limited effectiveness in juvenile pigs (weaners) that are difficult to medicate other than by injection, and current vaccines are only protective against the serotypes incl ....Novel vaccines and serotyping scheme for Haemophilus parasuis. Glasser's disease, caused by the bacterium Haemophilus parasuis, is a significant problem in Australian and overseas pig industries. Current approaches to the management of Glassers disease utilise antibacterials and also vaccines. However, antibacterials are of limited effectiveness in juvenile pigs (weaners) that are difficult to medicate other than by injection, and current vaccines are only protective against the serotypes included in the vaccine. We propose to examine the immune response to natural infection and identify potential vaccine candidates which will then be tested in vaccine trials. The APAI will focus on developing a DNA-based typing scheme for H. parasuis.Read moreRead less
Towards the development of a novel live vaccine for the control of Glässer's disease (Haemophilus parasuis), a globally significant respiratory disease of swine. Respiratory diseases are common in intensively housed pigs, costing the Australian industry millions of dollars in lost production annually. Glässer's is a highly contagious and often fatal respiratory disease of pigs. Antibiotic therapy is expensive and often results in the emergence of antibiotic resistant organisms. There is also a t ....Towards the development of a novel live vaccine for the control of Glässer's disease (Haemophilus parasuis), a globally significant respiratory disease of swine. Respiratory diseases are common in intensively housed pigs, costing the Australian industry millions of dollars in lost production annually. Glässer's is a highly contagious and often fatal respiratory disease of pigs. Antibiotic therapy is expensive and often results in the emergence of antibiotic resistant organisms. There is also a trend to move away from the use of antibiotics in food production animals. Current vaccines are based on inactivated preparations and do not offer a high level of immune protection. Therefore, there is a great need worldwide for a live vaccine for the effective control of Glässer's disease.Read moreRead less