Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli ΔtonB mutants are safe and protective live-attenuated vaccine candidates

Abstract

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) cause colibacillosis, a serious respiratory disease in poultry. Most APEC strains possess TonB-dependent outer membrane transporters for the siderophores salmochelin and aerobactin, which both contribute to their capacity to cause disease. To assess the potential of iron transport deficient mutants as vaccine candidates, the tonB gene was deleted in the APEC wild type strain E956 and a Δfur (ferric uptake repressor) mutant of E956. The growth of the ΔtonB and ΔtonB/Δfur mutants was impaired in iron-restricted conditions, but not in iron-replete media. Day old chicks were exposed to aerosols of the mutants to assess their efficacy as live attenuated va..