Bordetella Colonization Factor A (BcfA) elicits protective immunity against Bordetella bronchiseptica in the absence of an additional adjuvant

ABSTRACT Bordetella bronchiseptica (B. bronchiseptica) is an etiologic agent of respiratory diseases in animals and humans. Despite widespread use of veterinary B. bronchiseptica vaccines, there is limited information on their composition, relative efficacy, and the immune responses they elicit. Furthermore, human B. bronchiseptica vaccines are not available. We leveraged the dual antigenic and adjuvant functions of BcfA to develop acellular B. bronchiseptica vaccines in the absence of an additional adjuvant. Balb/c mice immunized with BcfA alone or a trivalent vaccine containing BcfA and the Bordetella antigens FHA and Prn were equally protected against challenge with a prototype B. bronchiseptica strain. The trivalent vaccine protected mice significantly better than the canine vaccine Bronchicine? and provided protection against a B. bronchiseptica strain isolated from a dog with kennel cough. Th1/17-polarized immune responses correlate with long-lasting protection against Bordetellae and other respiratory pathogens. Notably, BcfA strongly attenuated the Th2 responses elicited by FHA/Prn, resulting in Th1/17-skewed responses in inherently Th2-skewed Balb/c mice. Thus, BcfA functions as both an antigen and an adjuvant, providing protection as a single component vaccine. BcfA-adjuvanted vaccines may improve the efficacy and durability of vaccines against Bordetellae and other pathogens.