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Infection and Immunity, April 2006, p. 2338-2352, Vol. 74, No. 4
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.74.4.2338-2352.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Host Defense Peptide Beta-Defensin 1 Confers Protection against Bordetella pertussis in Newborn Piglets

Shokrollah Elahi, Rachelle M. Buchanan, Sam Attah-Poku, Hugh G. G. Townsend, Lorne A. Babiuk, and Volker Gerdts*

Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E3, Canada

Received 2 November 2005/ Returned for modification 21 December 2005/ Accepted 13 January 2006

Innate immunity plays an important role in protection against respiratory infections in humans and animals. Host defense peptides such as beta-defensins represent major components of innate immunity. We recently developed a novel porcine model of pertussis, an important respiratory disease of young children and infants worldwide. Here, we investigated the role of porcine beta-defensin 1 (pBD-1), a porcine defensin homologue of human beta-defensin 2, in conferring protection against respiratory infection with Bordetella pertussis. In this model, newborn piglets were fully susceptible to infection and developed severe bronchopneumonia. In contrast, piglets older than 4 weeks of age were protected against infection with B. pertussis. Protection was associated with the expression of pBD-1 in the upper respiratory tract. In fact, pBD-1 expression was developmentally regulated, and the absence of pBD-1 was thought to contribute to the increased susceptibility of newborn piglets to infection with B. pertussis. Bronchoalveolar lavage specimens collected from older animals as well as chemically synthesized pBD-1 displayed strong antimicrobial activity against B. pertussis in vitro. Furthermore, in vivo treatment of newborn piglets with only 500 µg pBD-1 at the time of challenge conferred protection against infection with B. pertussis. Interestingly, pBD-1 displayed no bactericidal activity in vitro against Bordetella bronchiseptica, a closely related natural pathogen of pigs. Our results demonstrate that host defense peptides play an important role in protection against pertussis and are essential in modulating innate immune responses against respiratory infections.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E3, Canada. Phone: (306) 966-1513. Fax: (306) 966-7478. E-mail: volker.gerdts{at}usask.ca.

Editor: A. D. O'Brien

Infection and Immunity, April 2006, p. 2338-2352, Vol. 74, No. 4
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.74.4.2338-2352.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Hazrati, E., Galen, B., Lu, W., Wang, W., Ouyang, Y., Keller, M. J., Lehrer, R. I., Herold, B. C. (2006). Human {alpha}- and beta-Defensins Block Multiple Steps in Herpes Simplex Virus Infection. J. Immunol. 177: 8658-8666 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


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