Immunization of dairy cattle with chimeric GapC protein against Streptococcus infection

An isolated multiple epitope fusion polypeptide comprising the general structural formula (I):

• (A)x—(B)y—(C)z (I)
• wherein
• (I) is a linear amino acid sequence;
• B comprises an amino acid sequence that corresponds to an antigenic determinant of a GapC protein;
• A and C each comprise an amino acid sequence that is
• (i) different from B,
• (ii) different from the other, and
• (iii) an amino acid sequence that corresponds to an antigenic determinant of a GapC protein wherein said antigenic determinant is not adjacent to B in nature;
• A, B and C each comprise epitopes from one or more bacterial species selected from the group consisting of Streptococcus dysgalactiae, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus uberis, Streptococcus parauberis, and Streptococcus iniae;
• y is an integer of 1 or more;
• and
• x and z are each independently integers wherein x+z is 1 or more, and further wherein A, B, and C each comprise amino acid sequences selected from the group consisting of
• (a) the amino acid sequences corresponding to amino acid positions 62 to 81, inclusive, of a Streptococcal GapC protein;
• (b) the amino acid sequences corresponding to amino acid positions 102 to 112, inclusive, of a Streptococcal GapC protein;
• (c)the amino acid sequences corresponding to amino acid positions 165 to 172, inclusive, of a Streptococcal GapC protein;
• (d) the amino acid sequences corresponding to amino acid positions 248 to 271, inclusive, of a Streptococcal GapC protein;
• and
• (e) the amino acid sequences corresponding to amino acid positions 286 to 305, inclusive, of a Streptococcal GapC protein.