Respon Imun Humoral Tikus Putih dengan Terapi Bakteriofag Rekombinan ϕSen-NF-rec Penginfeksi Salmonella enterica

Abstract

Foodborne diseases are caused by the consumption of contaminated food, such as Salmonella enterica, which compromises the immune system through virulence factors. Bacteriophage therapy has emerged as a potential alternative approach by enhancing host immune responses, such as antibody production. However, host immunity may also target bacteriophages, thereby necessitating genetic engineering to improve therapeutic efficacy. This study aimed to evaluate the humoral immune response of white rats infected with Salmonella enterica and treated with ϕSen-NF-rec recombinant bacteriophage therapy. Twenty-four male Wistar rats were divided into eight groups: a negative control (K(-)), infected with bacteria (P1), wild-type bacteriophage treatments (P2, P4, P6), and recombinant bacteriophage treatments (P3, P5, P7). Methods included bacterial rejuvenation, bacteriophage propagation/purification, experimental treatment administration (oral gavage for bacteria, intraperitoneal for bacteriophage), blood collection, serum analysis via ELISA, and statistical evaluation. The result indicated increased IgM and IgG antibody concentrations in the recombinant bacteriophage groups. These findings indicate that bacteriophage ϕSen-NF-rec has potential as an alternative strategy for prevention and treatment of bacterial infections by eliciting a stable and sustained humoral immune response. However, lower antibody concentrations were observed in the Treatment II group compared to the Prevention II group, suggesting that bacteriophage ϕSen-NF-rec may be more effective as a preventive agent than as a therapeutic agent, as it can stimulate a stronger primary immune response against pathogenic bacteria without the need to wait for an active infection to develop.