STUDY OF PROPERTIES OF RECOMBINANT ANTIGENS OF SALMONELLA ABORTUS EQUI

Abstract

Salmonellosis abortus in mares is an infectious disease caused by Salmonella abortus equi, accompanied by abortion and birth of non-viable fetuses. Economic damage occurs due to loss of reproductive ability of sires, under receipt of litters, reduced productivity of mares and costs of veterinary measures. In many countries there is a high level of infection in horses, including Kazakhstan [1,2]. The main method of diagnosis is bacteriological, but unfortunately, it is insufficiently sensitive, time-consuming and depends on the condition of the material under study. For the diagnosis of salmonellosis abortion, the OIE recommends the use of modern effective methods: PCR and ELISA, however, the use of PCR in veterinary laboratories is difficult due to the high cost of equipment and the high price of test systems, and when using the ELISA method, the composition and purity of the antigen is of great importance [3,4].

Genetic engineering methods make it possible to obtain recombinant antigens of animal pathogens containing individual proteins of diagnostic value and excluding the content of amino acid sequences that can cause nonspecific reactions. These antigens can be used in tests for detection of antibodies in blood serum samples, immunization of laboratory animals, as well as in the development of vaccines.

According to [5,6], outer membrane proteins are diagnostically significant antigens of Salmonella. The outer membrane protein OmpX of S. abortus equi is highly immunogenic and conserved, so was selected as a target.

The aim of the work was to study the properties of the obtained recombinant OmpX antigens of S. abortus equi.