Interferon Kinetics and its effect on DNA vaccine induced immunity in channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)

Abstract

Increasing the effectiveness of vaccination against channel catfish diseases, including channel catfish virus (CCV) is important economically and clinically for channel catfish farming. Catfish interferon (IFN), an innate, nonspecific immune protein, provides immediate nonspecific viral protection and can be induced with either CCV, UV-inactivated CCV or polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid, (poly I:C). Conditions and kinetics of the IFN response in channel catfish ovary (CCO) cells and in channel catfish are described. Vaccination of channel catfish with ORF 59, a cloned gene, increased total anti-CCV activity during 4 hours to 4 weeks post vaccination. When IFN is elicited concurrently with DNA vaccination, the effectiveness of the vaccine does not increase.