Immune response of mature cows subjected to annual booster vaccination against neonatal calf diarrhoea with two different commercial vaccines: A non-inferiority study

Abstract

K99. In this multi-centre, randomised, blinded study, adult cows vaccinated with a trivalent vaccine marketed for years (Rotavec™ Corona, MSD Animal Health -RC) prior to last parturition were revaccinated 12-15 months later, prior to the upcoming parturition, with either a single injection of a recently marketed vaccine (Bovigen™ Scour, Virbac -BS), or RC. The aim of this trial was to verify whether BS is not inferior to RC for the stimulation of the immune response and the passive transfer to calves in these conditions. A total of 136 multiparous dairy cows, from 5 different herds and located in 3 countries (France, UK and Germany) were enrolled in the study. Sixty-five cows were vaccinated with BS and 71 with RC. Antibody levels, measured by competitive ELISA and represented as percentage of inhibition (PI), were assessed in the cow's serum (on the day of vaccination: D0 and on days 21, 42 and at calving), in the colostrum and in the serum of calves in the first week of life. Differences in means of PI between groups and the 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated. The non-inferiority threshold was set at −10%. The relationships between antibody levels in the colostrum and the vaccination-calving interval (VCI) or the inter-booster vaccination interval (IBVI) were also analysed.All the lower margins of the 95% CI of the difference in means of PI, in all samples and for the 3 pathogens assessed, were above −10%. This result shows that BS is not inferior to RC for the stimulation of the immune response against BoRV, BoCV and E. coli K99 and the passive transfer of immunity to calves when this vaccine is administered to their dams previously vaccinated with RC. Furthermore, no correlation was found between PI values in the colostrum and the VCI or IBVI. The ratio of animals with a PI ≥ 95% in the colostrum, among cows with similar intervals, was not significantly different between groups, for all antigens tested.Therefore, this study shows that a single injection of the heterologous vaccine BS can be used as a booster in cattle previously vaccinated with RC.

Investigation of haematological, inflammatory and immunological response in naturally infected cattle with Theileria annulata

“…Beheshtipour and Raeeszadeh evaluated proinflammatory (IL‐1β and TNF‐α) and anti‐inflammatory (IL‐10) cytokines in calves with diarrhoea and reported an increase in proinflammatory cytokines 54 . The increase of IL‐1β has been explained to be due to lipopolysaccharides found in the cell walls of gram‐negative bacteria 55,56 . The increase in TNF‐α has been associated with decreased appetite and weight loss due to inflammation 11 .…”

Implementation of a pre-calving vaccination programme against rotavirus, coronavirus and enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (F5) and association with dairy calf survival

“…Despite the presumption that herds that started vaccination with BS might fall into the category of CSU farms because of applying shorter duration of TM feeding as is suggested by the SPC of BS, this was not the case in this study. Durel and colleagues [ 22 ] compared the potential of RC and BS to increase specific antibody levels in cow and calf serum and colostrum and demonstrated that neither vaccine is inferior to the other, also suggesting that the product that is being used does not influence the outcome of the vaccination programme.…”

“…The essence of lactogenic (also referred to as colostral) immunity is to ensure that pathogen-specific antibodies are constantly present in the gut lumen in high quantities and can neutralize the pathogen rapidly. Previous studies have identified an increase in antibody titers in dam serum, colostrum and milk as well as calf serum due to pre-calving vaccination of the dam against ETEC, rotavirus and coronavirus, among others [ 19 – 22 ]. Vaccinating dry cows during the last trimester of gestation increases the level of these pathogen-specific antibodies in the colostrum and milk for up to 28 days or more and enhances the nutritional value of colostrum [ 23 – 25 ].…”

Ruminant health research – progress to date and future prospects, with an emphasis on Irish research

“…As in humans, oral electrolyte solutions (ORS) are considered more important than antimicrobial usage (AMU) (Wenge-Dangschat et al, 2020). While maternal vaccination has a role to play, its effectiveness is highly dependent upon colostrum management (Durel et al, 2017). Maintenance of a milk diet during diarrhoea is beneficial for recovery (Lorenz et al, 2011a) and not a cause of diarrhoea, as previously thought.…”