Investigation of honey bee venom effect on the immunogenicity of foot-and-mouth disease vaccine in sheep

Background: Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is one of the most highly contagious and economically significant diseases of cloven-hoofed animals worldwide. FMD virus (FMDV) is the cause of the disease. The virus has seven serological types, identified as; O, A, C, SAT1, SAT2, SAT3 and Asia1. The aim of this study enhancement of Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) vaccine immunogenicity is the unique way to control FMD in Egypt. 
Aim: Our research studied the effect of bee venom as simultaneously inoculated with the commercial vaccine on the immune response of experimentally vaccinated sheep in comparison with the inoculation of the vaccine alone through evaluation of the cellular and humeral immune response. 
Methods: Estimation of cellular immunity using Phagocytic activity, phagocytic percentage, lymphocyte blastogenesis, Interleukin-6, and Interleukin-12 and estimation of humeral immunity using SNT and ELISA.
Result: Evaluation of the cellular immunity expressed in lymphocyte blastogenesis, Phagocytic activity, phagocytic percentage, Interleukin-6, and Interleukin-12 showed higher levels in sheep vaccinated by the trivalent FMD vaccine (serotypes O pan Asia, A Iran O5, and SAT2 / EGY/2012) with bee venom comparable to those induced by the vaccine alone. Following up the humeral immune response of vaccinated sheep revealed that FMD virus antibodies serotypes O pan Asia, A Iran O5 and SAT2 / EGY/2012 as measured by SNT and ELISA assay induced by FMD with bee venom were higher than those induced by inactivated FMD alone.
Conclusion: So, it could be concluded that inoculation of bee venom with FMD vaccine simultaneously is of high benefit inducing high level of specific immunity which could be of long duration.