Abstract
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) causes severe diarrhea in piglets. The current primary approach for ETEC prevention and control relies on antibiotics, as few effective vaccines are available. Consequently, an urgent clinical demand exists for developing an effective vaccine to combat this disease. Here, we utilized food-grade Lactococcus lactis NZ3900 and expression plasmid pNZ8149 as live vectors, together with the secreted expression peptide Usp45 and the cell wall non-covalent linking motif LysM, to effectively present the mutant LTA subunit, the LTB subunit of heat-labile enterotoxin, and the FaeG of F4 pilus on the surface of recombinant lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Combining three recombinant LAB as a live vector oral vaccine, we assessed its efficacy in preventing F4+ ETEC infection. The results demonstrate that oral immunization conferred effective protection against F4+ ETEC infection in mice and piglets lacking maternal antibodies during weaning. Sow immunization during late pregnancy generated significantly elevated antibodies in colostrum, which protected piglets against F4+ ETEC infection during lactation. Moreover, booster immunization on piglets during lactation significantly enhanced their resistance to F4+ ETEC infection during the weaning stage. This study highlights the efficacy of an oral LAB vaccine in preventing F4+ ETEC infection in piglets by combining the sow immunization and booster immunization of piglets, providing a promising vaccination strategy for future prevention and control of ETEC-induced diarrhea in piglets.