The results of the SAPHIR project are:
1) The productivity reductions due to bovine respiratory disease (covering BRSV and M. bovis) and of Eimeria infection in European broiler production systems were estimated to be around 5%. The loss due to PRRSV in a typical European farrow-to-finish farm was estimated to reach €400/sow/year .
2) Vaccine use depends on the perception of farmers, food industry, and consumers. Visual evidence of efficacy, time, effort, public acceptance, effects on sales and incomes and reliability of vaccine supply are important factors in the adoption of vaccines on-farm. In the beef cattle sector, the use of vaccines by breeders will certainly require the introduction of a premium for vaccinated calves.
3) Pathogen-specific vaccines:
- PRRSV: a new attenuated vaccine showing protective efficacy against a distant strain was licensed to industry. The mutations allowing derivation of attenuated vaccines from new strains were identified. A DNA prime-boost with attenuated vaccine was identified as an immuno-potentiating strategy, for broader coverage. Progresses towards a vaccine with a companion test differentiating the infected from vaccinated animals (DIVA) were made.
- M. hyopneumoniae: a bacterin vaccine, administered with squalene and TLR ligands, showed strong protective efficacy and safety. An attenuated vaccine, showing some efficacy, was developed.
- Eimeria: transgenic Eimeria parasites, delivering heterologous proteins from other strains, induced significant cross-protection. This strategy reduces the cost of current commercial formulations.
- M. bovis: conserved proteins, inducing strong humoral and cellular immunity, were generated for a subunit vaccine.
- C. perfringens: bacilli expressing conserved proteins were generated and used as an oral vaccine in chicken.
- BRSV: a one-shot subunit vaccine, with high safety profile, induced a high level of protection in calves with maternal antibodies, superior to a commercial vaccine. The biomarkers of vaccine efficacy were identified. A DIVA companion test was developed. Patents are held by SAPHIR partners.
4) Generic vaccine strategies:
- defined immunostimulatory adjuvants (TLR, STING, Mincle ligands) presented variable efficacy depending on the inactivated vaccine used, the route, the species and the age of the animals.
- skin patches loaded with PRRSV-DNA and inactivated PRRSV vaccines, as well as nasal administration of bacterin, were less effective than systemic administration. PRRSV-DNA vaccination with needle-free jet delivery revealed to be very promising.
- genetic polymorphism and transcriptomic signatures have been obtained from leukocytes of large cohorts of chicken and pigs presenting high and low responses to vaccines. Open arrays were built as validation tools.
5) Epidemiological modeling: prophylactic mass vaccination with PRRSV vaccine was predicted to be potently effective even with an incomplete/imperfect vaccine, whereas one-off vaccination has limited effect. Monovalent vaccine use affect the genetic of circulating strains.
6) Dissemination and training were implemented through an active SAPHIR public website and Twitter, newsletters, published papers, meeting with stakeholders shared with Feed-a-Gene-H2020, an integrated health strategies website and training workshops shared with the PARAGONE-H2020 project and the UK Veterinary Vaccinology Networks.
So far, the dissemination encompasses: 20 published papers, 37 posters, 71 oral communications, 17 SAPHIR-organised conferences/workshops, and many more to come.
