Vaccination of African catfish with Vibrio anguillarum O2: I. ELISA development and response to IP and immersion vaccination

The aim of this study was to investigate African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) vaccination with Vibrio anguillarum O2 bacterins. To monitor the antigen uptake, a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed. Serum antibody response was measured using an indirect ELISA. Sodium dodecylsulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblot data that characterize the immunoglobulin molecule of the African catfish are presented. The impact of acid conditions on the antigen proved to be stable above pH 4. A partition coefficient was calculated to determine the ability of transepithelial uptake. Two in vivo administration methods were investigated in the study. Intraperitoneal injection gave the highest absorption rate with high antibody levels in the systemic circulation, whereas immersion did not induce significant serum antibody levels.status: publishe