METHOD FOR REDUCING SKATOLE AND/OR INDOLE IN ANIMALS

Abstract

The present invention relates i.a. to a method for reducing the concentration of skatole and/or indole in an animal comprising administering to said animal an effective amount of an immunogenic composition comprising Lawsonia intracellularis antigen. Therefore, the present invention also relates to methods for reducing pork odor or boar taint.

Claims

1. A method for reducing the concentration of skatole and/or indole in an animal comprising administering to said animal an effective amount of an immunogenic composition comprising Lawsonia intracellularis antigen.

2. A method of preventing pork odor in an animal comprising administering to said animal an effective amount of an immunogenic composition comprising Lawsonia intracellularis antigen.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the Lawsonia intracellularis antigen is killed Lawsonia intracellularis or modified live Lawsonia intracellularis.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the immunogenic composition comprises 10.sup.6 to 10.sup.10 cells killed Lawsonia intracellularis per dose or an amount of 100 to 800 g killed Lawsonia intracellularis per dose.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the modified live Lawsonia intracellularis is an avirulent isolate or the Lawsonia intracellularis is attenuated.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and 5, wherein the immunogenic composition comprises about 3.0 to about 9.0 TCID50 of the modified live Lawsonia intracellularis per dose.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the animal is a pig.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the animal has an intestinal infection.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the animal has an infection with Lawsonia intracellularis.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 and 3 to 9, wherein skatole is 3-Methylindole.

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the concentration of skatole and/or indole is reduced in the intestine, fat, muscle, meat or liver tissue.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the method reduces pork odor or boar taint.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the method reduces the clinical signs of Lawsonia intracellularis infection.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the concentration of skatole is reduced by at least 50% in the fat tissue compared to an animal of a non-vaccinated control group being infected with Lawsonia intracellularis.

15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the concentration of skatole is reduced to less than 0.2 g/g in the fat tissue of animals being infected with Lawsonia intracellularis.

16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the concentration of skatole is reduced below the sensory threshold in the fat tissue of animals being infected with Lawsonia intracellularis.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the concentration of indole is reduced by at least 50% in the fat tissue compared to an animal of a non-vaccinated control group being infected with Lawsonia intracellularis.

18. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the concentration of indole is reduced to less than 0.3 g/g in the fat tissue of animals being infected with Lawsonia intracellularis.

19. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 18, wherein the concentration of indole is reduced below the sensory threshold in the fat tissue of animals being infected with Lawsonia intracellularis.

20. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the immunogenic composition is administered to the animal from one day of age onwards.

21. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 20, wherein the immunogenic composition further comprises a veterinary-acceptable carrier.

22. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 21, wherein the immunogenic composition is administered once or in two doses.

23. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein the immunogenic composition is administered, intramuscularly, subcutaneously, intranasaly or orally.

24. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 23, wherein the immunogenic composition is a vaccine.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0159] The following drawings form part of the present specification and are included to further demonstrate certain aspects of the present invention. The invention may be better understood by reference to one or more of these drawings in combination with the detailed description of specific embodiments presented herein.

[0160] FIG. 1 illustrates the concentrations of skatole and indole in samples of backfat. N: Non vaccinated during the odor problems, V: Vaccinated.

EXAMPLES

[0161] The following examples are only intended to illustrate the present invention. They shall not limit the scope of the claims in any way.

[0162] Black tarry diarrhoea and sudden death were observed in late fatteners in a 500-sows farrow-to-finish farm indicated disease caused by Lawsonia intracellularis infection. A hose-like thickening of ileum mucosa covered with pseudomembrane was found at necropsy confirming the clinical diagnosis (data not shown). Further, an infection with Brachyspira hyodysenteriae was diagnosed (data not shown). Furthermore, serum samples were tested for Li (Lawsonia intracellularis) antibodies (bioScreen Ileitis antibody-ELISA) confirming seroconversion at 120 days of age (data not shown). Around the same time, the pork sales destination reported that their customers brought complaints of pork odor. This pork was from the batch having the PHE problems. Seven carcass samples of the batch were submitted to NH Foods Ltd. R&D Center for determination of skatole and indole concentrations in backfat. Skatole concentration was 0.04-0.53 g/g (average 0.22 g/g), three samples (42%) exceeded the sensory threshold of 0.2 g/g (see FIG. 1). Indole concentration was less than sensory threshold of 0.3 g/g, ranging 0.03-0.15 g/g (average 0.09 g/g) (see FIG. 1).

[0163] Vaccination with an oral live attenuated Lawsonia intracellularis vaccine (Enterisol Ileitis, Boehringer Ingelheim) was implemented at 40 days of age according to the instruction of the manufacturer. Five months after implementing vaccination when the vaccinated pigs were marketed, skatole and indole concentrations of backfat were measured using six samples, and Li antibody test was performed again confirming that Li was still present on the farm (data not shown). Average concentrations of skatole and indole were 0.07 g/g and 0.02 g/g, respectively, a decrease of 68% and 78% and compared to before vaccination. No samples exceeded sensory threshold (see FIG. 1).

[0164] Skatole, by-product of microbial breakdown of tryptophan in the intestine, has strong odor. Nondegraded skatole deposited in fat was elevated. However, vaccination against Li infection improved clinical symptoms as well as pork odor. We hypothesize that infection with Lawsonia intracellularis may led to increased abnormal fermentation or increased intestinal absorption, which caused elevetad skatole production in the intestine.