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Analysis of DNA-Vaccinated Fish Reveals Viral Antigen in Muscle, Kidney and Thymus, and Transient Histopathologic Changes

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Abstract

A highly efficacious DNA vaccine against a fish rhabdovirus, infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), was used in a systematic study to analyze vaccine tissue distribution, persistence, expression patterns, and histopathologic effects. Vaccine plasmid pIHNw-G, containing the gene for the viral glycoprotein, was detected immediately after intramuscular injection in all tissues analyzed, including blood, but at later time points was found primarily in muscle tissue, where it persisted to 90 days. Glycoprotein expression was detected in muscle, kidney, and thymus tissues, with levels peaking at 14 days and becoming undetectable by 28 days. Histologic examination revealed no vaccine-specific pathologic changes at the standard effective dose of 0.1 μg DNA per fish, but at a high dose of 50 μg an increased inflammatory response was evident. Transient damage associated with needle injection was localized in muscle tissue, but by 90 days after vaccination no damage was detected in any tissue, indicating the vaccine to be safe and well tolerated.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks are due to Bryce Mansfield (University of Washington) for development of the tissue homogenization and DNA extraction methodologies and to Ellen Lorenzen (Danish Veterinary Institute) for technical assistance on immunohistochemistry. The authors also thank Scott LaPatra (Clear Springs Foods) for providing fish and scientific discussions on this project. This work was supported by USDA award 97-35204-4735 and by the Western Fisheries Research Center, Biological Resources Discipline, U.S. Geological Survey.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathobiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Kyle A. Garver & Gael Kurath

  2. Western Fisheries Research Center, United States Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, 6505 NE 65th St, Seattle, WA, 98115, USA

    Kyle A. Garver, Carla M. Conway, Diane G. Elliott & Gael Kurath

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  1. Kyle A. Garver
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  2. Carla M. Conway
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  3. Diane G. Elliott
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  4. Gael Kurath
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Correspondence to Kyle A. Garver.

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Garver, K.A., Conway, C.M., Elliott, D.G. et al. Analysis of DNA-Vaccinated Fish Reveals Viral Antigen in Muscle, Kidney and Thymus, and Transient Histopathologic Changes. Mar Biotechnol 7, 540–553 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-004-5129-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10126-004-5129-z

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