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Comparing the effects on calf health after use of a commercially available Mycoplasma bovis vaccine in dairy herds in Scotland
Fowlie, G.
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Objectives: Mycoplasma bovis is a bacterial pathogen of cattle with rising significance in the UK. With variable clinical signs such as pneumonia, mastitis and lameness causing substantial morbidity and mortality in all age groups and cattle systems coupled with difficulties in diagnosis and treatment Mycoplasma bovis control presents a real challenge to the cattle industry. Control methods of M. bovis infection include extended antibiotic courses metaphylactically, segregating and culling animals and pasteurising colostrum. Improvements in herd biosecurity has been recommended to prevent disease incursion into negative herds. Vaccination using autogenous vaccines has been used for some time in the UK with positive results in published data. A commercial 3-strain M. bovis vaccine available in the US, but not Europe, was acquired for this study. There is very limited published data on the efficacy of any commercially available M. bovis vaccine. The objectives of this study were to evaluate this commercial vaccine under UK field conditions in terms of safety, ease of incorporation into existing vaccine protocols (i.e. proof-of-concept), reducing mortality and reducing antimicrobial use in dairy calves up to 200 days old.
Materials and Methods: 4 dairies in North-East Scotland with evidence of mycoplasma herd infection and calf pneumonia were selected for vaccination, 4 other dairies were observed as controls. 902 calves born prior to vaccination (first time-period) and 680 calves born after vaccination was commenced (second time-period) were observed up to 200 days old for antibiotic use and mortality. Cows were vaccinated once at drying off (8 weeks pre-calving). Calves were vaccinated at 4 weeks of age. No changes to pre-existing farm vaccine protocols or routine herd management were made on any of the 8 farms during the study. A Kruskal-Wallis Rank Sum Analysis was performed on mortality data. Antibiotic usage was analysed using a Student’s Independent T-Test two-sample assuming unequal variance. Vaccine safety and ease of incorporation into existing vaccine protocols was assessed with herd manager discussions.
Results: No adverse reactions were reported during the study in either calves or cows. All farms enrolled in the study successfully completed the vaccine protocols in cows and calves. All farms continued to use the vaccine after the conclusion of the study. There was a significant reduction in post-weaning mortality after vaccination in the second time period (P<0.02). There were 31 deaths in pre-vaccination born calves during the post weaning period (n=534), there were 2 deaths in the post-vaccination born calves during the post-weaning period (n=398). Calves born on non-vaccinating farms showed a slight increased mortality risk in the second time-period. There was a significant reduction in antibiotic usage after vaccination compared to control farms (p<0.05). Vaccinating farms purchased 70.2% less antibiotics after vaccination. Control farms (with qualifying data) purchased 33.9% more during the second time-period.
Conclusions: This preliminary study demonstrated the safety and proof-of-concept of a commercially available Mycoplasma bovis vaccine in UK dairy herds. Due to study design and data gathering insufficiencies the significant reductions in post-weaning mortality and antimicrobial usage can only be broadly suggestive of an effect of the vaccine. Further work on assessing the effect of this vaccine in European cattle herds infected with M. bovis is warranted.
Keywords: Mycoplasma bovis, vaccine, dairy calves.
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Affiliation of the authors at the time of publication
Meadows Veterinary Centre, Oldmeldrum, Inverurie, United Kingdom
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