A Listeria monocytogenes-Based Vaccine Formulation Reduces Vertical Transmission and Leads to Enhanced Pup Survival in a Pregnant Neosporosis Mouse Model

The apicomplexan parasite Neospora caninum is the worldwide leading cause of abortion and stillbirth in cattle. An attenuated mutant Listeria monocytogenes strain (Lm3Dx) was engineered by deleting the virulence genes actA, inlA, and inlB in order to avoid systemic infection and to target the vector to antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Insertion of sag1, coding for the major surface protein NcSAG1 of N. caninum, yielded the vaccine strain Lm3Dx_NcSAG1. The efficacy of Lm3Dx_NcSAG1 was assessed by inoculating 1 × 10(5), 1 × 10(6), or 1 × 10(7) CFU of Lm3Dx_NcSAG1 into female BALB/c mice by intramuscular injection three times at two-week intervals, and subsequent challenge with 1 × 10(5) N. caninum tachyzoites of the highly virulent NcSpain-7 strain on day 7 of pregnancy. Dose-dependent protective effects were seen, with a postnatal offspring survival rate of 67% in the group treated with 1 × 10(7) CFU of Lm3Dx_NcSAG1 compared to 5% survival in the non-vaccinated control group. At euthanasia (25 days post-partum), IgG antibody titers were significantly decreased in the groups receiving the two higher doses and cytokines recall responses in splenocyte culture supernatants (IFN-γ, IL-4, and IL-10) were increased in the vaccinated groups. Thus, Lm3Dx_NcSAG1 induces immune-protective effects associated with a balanced Th1/Th2 response in a pregnant neosporosis mouse model and should be further assessed in ruminant models.