Attenuated Ehrlichia canis Vaccine for Complete Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vaccines against Ehrlichia canis are ineffective in providing complete protection against ehrlichiosis due to their inability to target the full complement of cell surface antigens, leading to potential immune evasion by the infectious agent, and they require costly adjuvants and complex preparation processes.
Innovation Solution
Development of an attenuated strain of Ehrlichia canis, specifically the PCM B/00023 strain, which is serially passed in tissue culture to induce protective immunity without the need for adjuvants, and is used in a vaccine formulation for parenteral, oral, or intranasal administration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional inactivated vaccines with multiple adjuvants are used, then some immune response is induced, but complete protection against ehrlichiosis is not achieved and dogs can still develop the disease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the need for multiple adjuvants (BCG, EMA/NEOCRYL, EMULSIGEN) from the vaccine composition by using a live attenuated E. canis strain that inherently induces sufficient immune response without these additional components, thereby simplifying the vaccine while maintaining high protection effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of the vaccine from inactivated bacteria to live attenuated bacteria, which fundamentally alters the immune response mechanism and eliminates the need for complex adjuvant systems while achieving complete protection
2Reliability
If inactivated E. canis bacterin with multiple adjuvants is used, then immune response is induced, but the preparation process becomes costly and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the costly and complex adjuvant components (BCG, EMA/NEOCRYL, EMULSIGEN) from the vaccine formulation, retaining only the attenuated E. canis strain itself, which significantly reduces manufacturing costs and process complexity while maintaining immune response induction
Solution Approach 2:
The attenuated E. canis strain serves its own function as both the antigen and the inducer of immune response, eliminating the need for separate adjuvant components and simplifying the manufacturing process to a single-component vaccine preparation
3Ease of manufacture
If isolated E. canis antigens or recombinant proteins are used, then partial immunity is achieved, but the full complement of cell surface antigens is not targeted allowing immune evasion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes from using isolated antigens or recombinant proteins to using live attenuated E. canis bacteria, which naturally express the full complement of cell surface antigens and induce comprehensive immune response that targets all antigenic determinants, preventing immune evasion
Solution Approach 2:
The live attenuated E. canis strain presents a composite of multiple antigens, lipopolysaccharides, and other molecular structures in their native context, providing a more complete and robust immune stimulus compared to isolated proteins or peptides
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an attenuated strain of Ehrlichia canis and a vaccine comprising said attenuated strain for protection of mammals against ehrlichiosis. The invention further relates to methods of preventing ehrlichiosis and of attenuating the pathogenicity Ehrlichia canis.