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Rhodococcus equi (Prescottella equi) vaccines; the future of vaccine development.
Abstract: For decades researchers have been targeting prevention of Rhodococcus equi (Rhodococcus hoagui/Prescottella equi) by vaccination and the horse breeding industry has supported the ongoing efforts by researchers to develop a safe and cost effective vaccine to prevent disease in foals. Traditional vaccines including live, killed and attenuated (physical and chemical) vaccines have proved to be ineffective and more modern molecular-based vaccines including the DNA plasmid, genetically attenuated and subunit vaccines have provided inadequate protection of foals. Newer, bacterial vector vaccines have recently shown promise for R. equi in the mouse model. This article describes the findings of key research in R. equi vaccine development and looks at alternative methods that may potentially be utilised.
© 2014 EVJ Ltd.
Publication Date: 2014-09-14 PubMed ID: 24945608DOI: 10.1111/evj.12310Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
- Review
Summary
This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.
This research article focuses on the ongoing development of vaccines for Rhodococcus equi (also known as Prescottella equi), with a particular interest in newer bacterial vector vaccines. Despite past attempts with various types of vaccines, none so far have provided adequate protection, leading researchers to explore alternative methods.
Overview of Rhodococcus equi Vaccines
- The research concentrates on Rhodococcus equi (Prescottella equi), a bacterium that poses a significant threat to the horse breeding industry, as it can cause disease in foals.
- For many years, the research in this field has endeavoured to prevent the spread of R. equi through vaccination. The horse breeding industry has also been supportive of these research efforts.
Challenges in Vaccine Development
- The development of a safe, efficient, and cost-effective vaccine for R. equi has proven challenging.
- More traditional forms of vaccines, those that are live, killed, or attenuated (via physical or chemical means), have failed to provide the desired results.
- Moreover, even more modern, molecular-based vaccines, such as the DNA plasmid, genetically attenuated, and subunit vaccines, have not offered satisfactory protection for foals against the disease.
Promise of Bacterial Vector Vaccines
- The research points to a newer range of vaccines, bacterial vector vaccines, which seem to hold significant promise in the fight against R. equi, particularly noting positive results from the mouse model.
Looking at Alternative Methods
- Given the challenges faced and the inadequate performance of current vaccine types, the research also explores potentially viable alternative methods that can be utilised in vaccine development for R. equi.
- The article highlights various promising research findings in R. equi vaccine formulation and indicates directions for future research that could potentially improve the efficacy of R. equi vaccines.
Cite This Article
APA
Giles C, Vanniasinkam T, Ndi S, Barton MD.
(2014).
Rhodococcus equi (Prescottella equi) vaccines; the future of vaccine development.
Equine Vet J, 47(5), 510-518.
https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.12310 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia.
- School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
- School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
MeSH Terms
- Actinomycetales Infections / microbiology
- Actinomycetales Infections / prevention & control
- Actinomycetales Infections / veterinary
- Animals
- Bacterial Vaccines / immunology
- Horse Diseases / microbiology
- Horse Diseases / prevention & control
- Horses
- Rhodococcus equi
Citations
This article has been cited 11 times.- Mourenza Á, Collado C, Bravo-Santano N, Gil JA, Mateos LM, Letek M. The extracellular thioredoxin Etrx3 is required for macrophage infection in Rhodococcus equi. Vet Res 2020 Mar 10;51(1):38.
- Mourenza Á, Gil JA, Mateos LM, Letek M. A Novel Screening Strategy Reveals ROS-Generating Antimicrobials That Act Synergistically against the Intracellular Veterinary Pathogen Rhodococcus equi. Antioxidants (Basel) 2020 Jan 28;9(2).
- Ruocco NA 3rd, Luedke LK, Fortier LA, Ducharme NG, Reesink HL. Rhodococcus equi Joint Sepsis and Osteomyelitis Is Associated With a Grave Prognosis in Foals. Front Vet Sci 2019;6:503.
- Mourenza Á, Bravo-Santano N, Pradal I, Gil JA, Mateos LM, Letek M. Mycoredoxins Are Required for Redox Homeostasis and Intracellular Survival in the Actinobacterial Pathogen Rhodococcus equi. Antioxidants (Basel) 2019 Nov 15;8(11).
- Cywes-Bentley C, Rocha JN, Bordin AI, Vinacur M, Rehman S, Zaidi TS, Meyer M, Anthony S, Lambert M, Vlock DR, Giguère S, Cohen ND, Pier GB. Antibody to Poly-N-acetyl glucosamine provides protection against intracellular pathogens: Mechanism of action and validation in horse foals challenged with Rhodococcus equi. PLoS Pathog 2018 Jul;14(7):e1007160.
- Trevisani MM, Hanna ES, Oliveira AF, Cardoso SA, Roque-Barreira MC, Soares SG. Vaccination of Mice with Virulence-Associated Protein G (VapG) Antigen Confers Partial Protection against Rhodococcus equi Infection through Induced Humoral Immunity. Front Microbiol 2017;8:857.
- Giles C, Ndi O, Barton MD, Vanniasinkam T. An Adenoviral Vector Based Vaccine for Rhodococcus equi. PLoS One 2016;11(3):e0152149.
- Rocha JN, Cohen ND, Bordin AI, Brake CN, Giguère S, Coleman MC, Alaniz RC, Lawhon SD, Mwangi W, Pillai SD. Oral Administration of Electron-Beam Inactivated Rhodococcus equi Failed to Protect Foals against Intrabronchial Infection with Live, Virulent R. equi. PLoS One 2016;11(2):e0148111.
- Golen GS, Erganiş O, Balevi A. Comparison of the efficacies of Rhodococcus equi recombinant vaccine in mice. Vet Res Forum 2025;16(5):253-259.
- Ghielmetti G, Stevens MJA, Schmitt S, Kittl S, Cernela N, Biggel M, Schulthess B, Keller PM, Schrenzel J, Stephan R. Multi-host distribution of Rhodococcus equi (Prescottella equi) strains and their phylogenomic clustering. BMC Microbiol 2025 Jul 21;25(1):447.
- Alvarez Narvaez S, Sanchez S. Exploring the Accessory Genome of Multidrug-Resistant Rhodococcus equi Clone 2287. Antibiotics (Basel) 2023 Nov 17;12(11).
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