Among various vaccines against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, subunit vaccines using recombinant proteins of ApxI, ApxII, and ApxIII as vaccine antigens have shown good efficacy in terms of safety and protection. Therefore, subunit vaccines are being applied worldwide and the development of new subunit vaccines is actively being conducted. To evaluate the efficacy of the subunit vaccines, it is important to measure immune responses to each Apx toxin separately. However, the cross-reactivity of antibodies makes it difficult to measure specific immune reactivity to each toxin. In the present study, specific antigen regions among the toxins were identified and cloned to solve this problem. The antigenicity of each recombinant protein was demonstrated by Western blot. Using the recombinant proteins, we developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods that can detect specific immune responses to each Apx toxin in laboratory guinea pigs. We suggest that the ELISA method developed in this study can be an important tool in the evaluation of vaccine efficiency and vaccine development.
Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae ; Actinobacillus ; Animals ; Antibodies ; Blotting, Western ; Clone Cells ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Guinea Pigs ; Methods ; Recombinant Proteins ; Vaccines ; Vaccines, Subunit

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae is a Gram-negative bacterium that resides in the respiratory tract of pigs and causes porcine respiratory disease complex, which leads to significant losses in the pig industry worldwide. The incidence of drug resistance in this bacterium is increasing; thus, identifying new protein/gene targets for drug and vaccine development is critical. In this study, we used an in silico approach, utilizing several databases including the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), the Database of Essential Genes (DEG), DrugBank, and Swiss-Prot to identify non-homologous essential genes and prioritize these proteins for their druggability. The results showed 20 metabolic pathways that were unique and contained 273 non-homologous proteins, of which 122 were essential. Of the 122 essential proteins, there were 95 cytoplasmic proteins and 11 transmembrane proteins, which are potentially suitable for drug and vaccine targets, respectively. Among these, 25 had at least one hit in DrugBank, and three had similarity to metabolic proteins from Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae, another pathogen causing porcine respiratory disease complex; thus, they could serve as common therapeutic targets. In conclusion, we identified glyoxylate and dicarboxylate pathways as potential targets for antimicrobial therapy and tetra-acyldisaccharide 4′-kinase and 3-deoxy-D-manno-octulosonic-acid transferase as vaccine candidates against A. pleuropneumoniae.
Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae ; Actinobacillus ; Computer Simulation ; Cytoplasm ; Databases, Protein ; Drug Resistance ; Genes, Essential ; Genome ; Genomics ; Incidence ; Metabolic Networks and Pathways ; Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae ; Pleuropneumonia ; Respiratory System ; Swine ; Transferases

Oral fluid analysis for herd monitoring is of interest to the commercial pig production in Korea. The aim of this study was to investigate pathogen-positive rates and correlations among eight pathogens associated with porcine respiratory disease complex by analyzing oral fluid samples from 214 pig groups from 56 commercial farms. Samples collected by a rope-chewing method underwent reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) or standard polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, depending on the microorganism. Pathogens were divided into virus and bacteria groups. The former consisted of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus and porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), and the latter Pasteurella multocida, Haemophilus parasuis, Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (MHP), Mycoplasma hyorhinis, and Streptococcus suis (SS). All pathogens were detected more than once by PCR. Age-based analysis showed the PCR-positive rate increased with increasing age for PCV2 and MHP, whereas SS showed the opposite. Correlations between pathogens were assessed among 36 different pair combinations; only seven pairs showed statistically significant correlations. In conclusion, the oral fluid method could be a feasible way to detect various swine respiratory disease pathogens and, therefore, could complement current monitoring systems for respiratory diseases in the swine industry.
Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae ; Agriculture* ; Bacteria ; Circovirus ; Complement System Proteins ; Haemophilus parasuis ; Korea* ; Methods* ; Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae ; Mycoplasma hyorhinis ; Pasteurella multocida ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus ; Streptococcus suis ; Swine

Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae causes porcine pleuropneumoniae which is one of severe threats to the swine industry. In total, 54 strains of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae were isolated from 443 pigs between 2012 and 2013 in Korea. Isolates were classified into serotypes 1, 2, 5, 7, 12, and unclassified by multiplex PCR. Genotypes of isolates were divided into three groups according to the sequence of the omlA gene. The antimicrobial resistance rate of serotype 1 was slightly higher than that of serotype 5. In conclusion, to block and treat porcine pleuropneumonia, it is necessary to conduct ongoing characterization of A. pleuropneumoniae isolated from pigs.
Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae* ; Genotype ; Korea ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Pleuropneumonia ; Prevalence* ; Swine*

Exotoxins produced by Actinobacillus (A.) pleuropneumoniae (Apx) play major roles in the pathogenesis of pleuropneumonia in swine. This study investigated the role of ApxI in hemolysis and cellular damage using a novel apxIA mutant, ApxIA336, which was developed from the parental strain A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 10 that produces only ApxI in vitro. The genotype of ApxIA336 was confirmed by PCR, Southern blotting, and gene sequencing. Exotoxin preparation derived from ApxIA336 was analyzed for its bioactivity towards porcine erythrocytes and alveolar macrophages. Analysis results indicated that ApxIA336 contained a kanamycin-resistant cassette inserted immediately after 1005 bp of the apxIA gene. Phenotype analysis of ApxIA336 revealed no difference in the growth rate as compared to the parental strain. Meanwhile, ApxI production was abolished in the bacterial culture supernatant, i.e. exotoxin preparation. The inability of ApxIA336 to produce ApxI corresponded to the loss of hemolytic and cytotoxic bioactivity in exotoxin preparation, as demonstrated by hemolysis, lactate dehydrogenase release, mitochondrial activity, and apoptosis assays. Additionally, the virulence of ApxIA336 appeared to be attenuated by 15-fold in BALB/c mice. Collectively, ApxI, but not other components in the exotoxin preparation of A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 10, was responsible for the hemolytic and cytotoxic effects on porcine erythrocytes and alveolar macrophages.
Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae/genetics/*pathogenicity/*physiology ; Animals ; *Apoptosis ; Bacterial Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Blotting, Southern ; Exotoxins/*genetics ; Hemolysin Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; *Hemolysis ; Macrophages, Alveolar/metabolism/*microbiology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sequence Analysis, DNA ; Swine ; Virulence

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a chronic inflammatory disease that is frequently detected in oral tissues. The aim of our study was to identify the prevalence of the detection of periodontopathogenic microorganisms (Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, Tannerella forsythia and Treponema denticola in OLP patients and to compare with this prevalence of periodontopathogenic microorganisms in healthy non-OLP patients. Our study included 27 (18 chronic periodontitis (OLPP) and 9 gingivitis (OLPG)) patients diagnosed with OLP along with 26 (13 chronic periodontitis (HP) and 13 gingivitis (HG)) healthy non-OLP patients. The multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with subsequent reverse hybridization method (micro-IDent) was used for identifying periodontopathogenic microorganisms present in subgingival plaque samples. The percentages of detection for A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, T. forsythia and T. denticola in subgingival plaque samples taken from OLP patients (OLPG and OLPP) were 18.5%, 85.1%, 81.4%, 88.8% and 74%, respectively. Meanwhile, in the non-OLP patients (HG and HP), these values were 7.6%, 50%, 46.1%, 73% and 57.7%, respectively. Thus, comparing the non-OLP groups with the OLP groups, the periodontopathogens' percentages of detection in the OLP groups were higher than those in the non-OLP groups. According to our study results, OLP patients have higher levels of infection with A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis, P. intermedia, T. forsythia and T. denticola than non-OLP patients. We argue that the high percentages in patients with OLP may help identify the importance of periodontopathogenic microorganisms in the progress of periodontal diseases of OLP.
Actinobacillus Infections ; diagnosis ; Adult ; Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans ; isolation & purification ; Bacteroidaceae Infections ; diagnosis ; Bacteroides ; isolation & purification ; Bacteroides Infections ; diagnosis ; Chronic Periodontitis ; microbiology ; Dental Plaque ; microbiology ; Dental Plaque Index ; Female ; Gingivitis ; microbiology ; Gram-Negative Bacteria ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Lichen Planus, Oral ; microbiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Periodontal Attachment Loss ; microbiology ; Periodontal Index ; Periodontal Pocket ; microbiology ; Porphyromonas gingivalis ; isolation & purification ; Prevotella intermedia ; isolation & purification ; Treponema denticola ; isolation & purification ; Treponemal Infections ; diagnosis

Succinic acid is an important C4 platform chemical in the synthesis of many commodity and special chemicals. In the present work, different compounds were evaluated for succinic acid production by Actinobacillus succinogenes GXAS 137. Important parameters were screened by the single factor experiment and Plackeet-Burman design. Subsequently, the highest production of succinic acid was approached by the path of steepest ascent. Then, the optimum values of the parameters were obtained by Box-Behnken design. The results show that the important parameters were glucose, yeast extract and MgCO3 concentrations. The optimum condition was as follows (g/L): glucose 70.00, yeast extract 9.20 and MgCO3 58.10. Succinic acid yield reached 47.64 g/L at the optimal condition. Succinic acid increased by 29.14% than that before the optimization (36.89 g/L). Response surface methodology was proven to be a powerful tool to optimize succinic acid production.
Actinobacillus ; classification ; genetics ; metabolism ; Bioreactors ; Culture Media ; metabolism ; Fermentation ; Glucose ; metabolism ; Industrial Microbiology ; methods ; Succinic Acid ; metabolism

Succinic acid is one of the key intermediates in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA)and has huge potentials in biopolymer, food, medicine applications. This article reviews recent research progress in the production of succinic acid by microbial fermentation, including discovery and screening of the succinic-acid-producing microbes, the progress of genetic engineering strategy and metabolic engineering technology for construction of succinic acid-producing strains, and fermentation process control and optimization. Finally, we discussed the limitation of current progress and proposed the future research needs for microbial production of succinic acid.
Actinobacillus ; genetics ; metabolism ; Anaerobiospirillum ; genetics ; metabolism ; Fermentation ; Industrial Microbiology ; methods ; trends ; Metabolic Engineering ; methods ; Succinic Acid ; metabolism

Actinobacillus (A.) pleuropneumoniae is the causative agent of pleuropneumonia which is one of the most important respiratory diseases in pigs worldwide. A total of 32 A. pleuropneumoniae isolates from diseased pigs during 2008 to 2010 were serotyped by polymerase chain reaction method. The susceptibility of the isolates to 13 antimicrobial agents were determined by disk diffusion test. In all the 32 isolates examined in this study, serotype 5 (16 isolates: 50%), 1 (7 isolates: 21.9%), 2 (5 isolates: 15.6%) and 12 (1 isolate: 3.1%) were found. Of all tested antimicrobial agents, resistance to oxytetracycline was found in 96.9% of isolates, followed by resistance to amikacin (81.2%), neomycin (68.7%), kanamycin (53.1%), penicillin (50.0%), gentamicin (43.7%), florfenicol (25.0%), ampicillin (18.7%), colistin (9.4%), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, ceftiofur (8.3%), amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (3.1%) and enrofloxacin (0%). Oxytetracycline or florfenicol-resistant isolates were examined for the presence of resistance gene. Among the 31 oxytetracycline-resistant isolates, tetB, tetH and tetO genes were detected in 22 (71%), 8 (26%) and 1 (3%) isolates, respectively. The floR genes were detected in 8 (100%) of the 8 florfenicol-resistant A. pleuropneumoniae isolates.
Actinobacillus ; Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae ; Amikacin ; Ampicillin ; Anti-Infective Agents ; Cephalosporins ; Colistin ; Diffusion ; Fluoroquinolones ; Gentamicins ; Kanamycin ; Korea ; Neomycin ; Oxytetracycline ; Penicillins ; Pleuropneumonia ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Swine ; Thiamphenicol

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of Actinobacillus actinomycetem (A. actinomycetem) on the secretion and apoptosis rate of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) in type 2 diabetes patients.

METHODSPeripheral PMN from healths and type 2 diabetes patients were isolated by Percoll gradient centrifugation. The PMN were stimulated with filtrate of ultrasonic pulverization from A. actinomycetem as the experiment group. As the control group, PMN suspension was incubated with PBS. The release of interleukin-6 (IL-6) was measured at 20, 40, 60 min by enzymelinked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) technique. The apoptosis rate of PMN was tested at 6 and 12 hours by flow cytometry.

RESULTSIncubated with filtrate of ultrasonic pulverization from A. actinomycetem, the PMN of type 2 diabetes patients released significantly higher levels of IL-6 compared with the healthy subjects (P < 0.001). The apoptosis rate of PMN from the healthy subjects was higher than that from type 2 diabetes patients (P < 0.001). Regardless of body condition, interaction with filtrate of ultrasonic pulverization from A. actinomycetem could induce the seretion of IL-6 and reduce the apoptosis rate.

CONCLUSIONThe PMN of type 2 diabetes patients may possess hyper-reactive inflammatory response trait.