The model included pen as a random effect and group as a fixed effect. required for protection. A secondary aim was to determine if vaccine-induced antibody responses exhibited cross-reactive potential with antigens from other EHEC serotypes. Immunization with EspA, intimin and Tir resulted in a reduction in mean EHEC O157 shedding following challenge, but not the mean proportion of calves colonized. Removal of Tir resulted in more prolonged shedding compared with all other groups, whereas replacement of Tir with H7 flagellin resulted in the highest levels of protection, both in terms of reducing both mean EHEC O157 shedding and the proportion of colonized calves. Immunization of calves with recombinant EHEC O157 EspA, intimin and Tir resulted in the generation of antibodies capable of cross-reacting with antigens from non-O157 EHEC serotypes, suggesting that immunization with these antigens may provide a degree of cross-protection against other EHEC serotypes. Further studies are now required to test the efficacy of these vaccines in the FGF6 field, and to formally test the cross-protective potential of the vaccines against other non-O157 EHEC. Introduction Enterohemorrhagic (EHEC) are worldwide zoonotic pathogens which cause gastro-intestinal disease in humans with potentially life-threatening consequences as a result of systemic Shiga toxin Ractopamine HCl (Stx) activity. Ruminants, and cattle in particular, are the major reservoir of EHEC and humans are colonized via direct or indirect contact with ruminant feces [1C4]. Intervention strategies aimed at limiting colonization and shedding of EHEC from cattle are predicted to reduce the incidence of human disease [5,6], and the development of intervention strategies in cattle has received considerable attention over the last decade. The EHEC serogroup responsible for most human cases in North America and the UK is O157; however other emerging serogroups are a threat to human health and are more prevalent than O157 in some countries [7]. In acknowledgement of the growing importance of non-O157 EHEC serotypes, six non-O157 serogroups (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145) have recently been classified as adulterants in the USA [8], meaning that if they are detected in meat batches destined for retail sale then these must be withdrawn at substantial cost to the meat processing market. Despite these costs, there is little financial incentive for cattle suppliers themselves to implement interventions, as EHEC infections in cattle are mainly asymptomatic and there is currently no evidence that these infections Ractopamine HCl Ractopamine HCl are a direct cause of production losses. Furthermore, you will find no statutory requirements for suppliers to control EHEC in their herds. As a result, to maximise uptake from the livestock market any treatment in cattle will need to become cost-effective and supported by clear evidence that such treatments reduce the incidence of human illness. A number of interventions in cattle have been tested to day including vaccination, probiotics, nutritional manipulation, bacteriophage therapy and biosecurity steps [9C12]. A survey of published interventions has recognized vaccines that target adherence and iron rules as the most efficacious to day [11], and two commercially available vaccines exist, both of which are subunit vaccines consisting of native bacterial proteins: the 1st vaccine is based on siderophore receptor Ractopamine HCl and porin proteins (SRP) which presumably target bacterial iron uptake (Epitopix LLC, Willmar, Minnesota, U.S) [13,14] whereas the second is based on secreted protein preparations containing components of the bacterial type-III secretion system (T3SS) (Econiche, Bioniche Existence Sciences Inc., Belleville, Ontario, Canada) [15C17], which is critical for adherence to and colonization of the bovine intestinal epithelium [18,19]. There is, however, substantial variance in how these vaccines perform in the field [20], which may partly reflect issues with the reproducibility of native bacterial protein preparations. Recombinant subunit vaccines based on T3SS proteins have been shown to be effective at limiting O157 colonization and dropping in cattle, sheep and goats [21C24], and we have previously demonstrated that focusing on both H7 flagella and the T3SS appears be more effective than focusing on the T3SS only [21]. Recombinant systems possess the added good thing about generating reproducible levels of protein at high purify, Ractopamine HCl therefore reducing potential batch-to-batch variance during developing. To further refine current.