Immune responses of cattle to experimental anti-Fasciola hepatica vaccines

Fasciola hepatica infection of cattle and sheep is an important cause of clinical disease and production losses, and is controlled at present by a combination of chemotherapy and management measures. However, the prospects for the control of F. hepatica infection by vaccination are good, and we have previously shown substantial protection of cattle against experimental challenge infection following immunisation with a combination of the purified fluke-derived enzymes cathepsin L1 (CAT L1), cathepsin L2 (CAT L2) and fluke-derived Hb fraction (FHB). This and other recent studies have also demonstrated fundamental differences between protective and non-protective immune responses to liver fluke infection. In this present study we have further analysed the response of animals to liver fluke challenge following experimental vaccination. Calves were vaccinated with either CAT L2 plus FHB, or CAT L1 plus CAT L2. Partial protection against challenge infection was achieved in both vaccinated groups, with the greatest level of protection (55 per cent reduction in fluke burdens) recorded in the group vaccinated with CAT L1 plus CAT L2. This latter group also showed the greater level of lymphocyte proliferation and the greater production of γ-INF in response to stimulation with fluke antigen in vitro following challenge. These results are significant in our attempts to characterise the elements within the immune response to vaccination which are protective.