Investigation of honey bee venom effect on the immunogenicity of foot-and-mouth disease vaccine in sheep

BACKGROUND: Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is one of the most highly contagious and economically significant diseases of cloven-hoofed animals worldwide. FMD virus (FMDV) is the cause of the disease. The virus has seven serological types, identified as; O, A, C, SAT1, SAT2, SAT3, and Asia1. The aim of this study enhancement of FMD vaccine immunogenicity is the unique way to control FMD in Egypt. AIM: Our research studied the effect of bee venom (BV) as simultaneously inoculated with the commercial vaccine on the immune response of experimentally vaccinated sheep in comparison with the inoculation of the vaccine alone through evaluation of the cellular and humoral immune response. METHODS: Estimation of cellular immunity using phagocytic activity, phagocytic percentage, lymphocyte blastogenesis, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-12 (IL-12) and estimation of humoral immunity using serum neutralization test (SNT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULT: Evaluation of the cellular immunity expressed in lymphocyte blastogenesis, phagocytic activity, phagocytic percentage, IL-6, and IL-12 showed higher levels in sheep vaccinated by the trivalent FMD vaccine (serotypes O pan Asia, A Iran O5, and SAT2/EGY/2012) with BV comparable to those induced by the vaccine alone. Following up the humoral immune response of vaccinated sheep revealed that FMDV antibodies serotypes O pan Asia, A Iran O5, and SAT2/EGY/2012 as measured by SNT and ELISA assay induced by FMD with BV were higher than those induced by inactivated FMD alone. CONCLUSION: The inoculation of BV with FMD vaccine simultaneously is of high benefit inducing high level of specific immunity which could be of long duration.