Florfenicol impairs the immune responses to vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease in mice

Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 2011 Dec;33(4):609-13. doi: 10.3109/08923973.2011.552507. Epub 2011 Mar 23.

Abstract

Florfenicol is a new type of broad-spectrum antibacterial that has been used in veterinary clinics. It showed immunosuppressive activity on the immune responses to vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) serotype O in mice. In the present study, BALB/c mice were immunized subcutaneously with FMDV serotype O antigen on days 1 and 14. Beginning on day 21, mice were treated with a single daily oral dose of florfenicol (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) for seven consecutive days. On day 28, blood samples were collected to analyze FMDV-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgG1, and IgG2b antibodies, and splenocytes were harvested to assess lymphocyte proliferation, CD3(+) T- and CD19(+) B-lymphocyte subsets. The results presented here demonstrated that florfenicol not only significantly suppressed concanavalin A-, lipopolysaccharide-induced splenocyte proliferation but also decreased the percentage of CD19(+) B-cells in a dose-dependent manner and suppressed CD3(+) T-cell at high doses. Moreover, FMDV-specific IgG, IgG1, and IgG2b antibody levels in FMDV-immunized mice were reduced by florfenicol. These results suggested that florfenicol could suppress humoral and cellular immune responses to vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in mice.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology*
  • Antibodies, Viral / immunology
  • B-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic
  • Foot-and-Mouth Disease / immunology*
  • Foot-and-Mouth Disease / prevention & control
  • Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus / immunology*
  • Immunity, Cellular / drug effects*
  • Immunity, Humoral / drug effects*
  • Immunoglobulin G / immunology
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Thiamphenicol / analogs & derivatives*
  • Thiamphenicol / pharmacology
  • Time Factors
  • Vaccination*
  • Viral Vaccines / immunology
  • Viral Vaccines / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Viral Vaccines
  • florfenicol
  • Thiamphenicol