Biosafety and antibody responses of adult bison bulls after vaccination with Brucella abortus strain RB51

Objective-To evaluate clearance, antibody responses, potential shedding, an d histologic lesions in reproductive tissues of adult bison bulls after vac cination with Brucella abortus strain RB51. Animals-61 two- and 3-year-old bison bulls. Procedure-12 bison bulls were vaccinated SC with B abortus strain RB51, 3 w ere inoculated SC with 0.15M NaCl, and antibody responses were evaluated. V arious specimens were obtained to evaluate bacterial shedding. Four vaccina tes and 1 control were necropsied 10, 20, and 30 weeks after vaccination. i n a separate experiment, bison bulls were vaccinated SC with 0.15M NaCl, or by hand or ballistically with strain RB51. Antibody responses were monitor ed 6 weeks after vaccination and during necropsy 13 weeks alter vaccination . Tissue specimens obtained during necropsy from both studies were evaluate d bacteriologically and histologically. Results-Strain RB51 was recovered at various times from semen of 3 of 12 va ccinated bison bulls in experiment 1. During necropsy, strain RB51 was reco vered 10 and 20, but not 30, weeks after vaccination. In experiment 2, stra in RB51 was recovered from lymphoid tissues of hand- and ballistic-vaccinat ed bison bulls during necropsy. In both experiments, microscopic lesions in testes, epididymis, and seminal vesicles were minimal and did not differ b etween strain RB51-vaccinated and saline-inoculated bison bulls. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-Strain RB51 does not induce relevant inf lammatory lesions in reproductive tissues of adult bison bulls. Shedding of strain RB51 in semen may be transient in some bison bulls, however, the im portance of this observation is unknown.