In silico evaluation of outer membrane protein S2 as a suitable vaccine candidate against Edwardsiella tarda infection of fish.

This article focuses on the identification and in silico analysis of outer membrane protein S2 (OmpS2) from Edwardsiella tarda, a significant pathogen causing edwardsiellosis in fish aquaculture, to evaluate its potential as a subunit vaccine candidate. The study involved cloning and sequencing the OmpS2 gene from an environmental isolate, followed by bioinformatics analyses including structural modeling, antigenicity prediction, and epitope mapping for B-cell and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses. Molecular docking demonstrated strong binding interactions between selected OmpS2 epitopes and fish major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecules, suggesting the protein's capacity to elicit both humoral and cell-mediated immunity. The findings provide a computational framework supporting OmpS2 as a promising target for vaccine development to mitigate economic losses in aquaculture caused by E. tarda infections.