Immunisation against lactic acidosis in cattle

• Published in: Research in veterinary science Vol. 67; no. 1; pp. 65 - 71
• Main Authors: SHU, Q., GILL, H.S., HENNESSY, D.W., LENG, R.A., BIRD, S.H., ROWE, J.B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.08.1999
• Subjects: Acidosis, Lactic - immunology; Acidosis, Lactic - prevention & control; Acidosis, Lactic - veterinary; Animals; Antibodies, Bacterial - biosynthesis; antibody formation; Bacterial Vaccines - immunology; blood serum; Cattle; Cattle Diseases - immunology; Cattle Diseases - prevention & control; efficacy; Energy Intake; feed intake; immunization programs; immunoglobulin G; lactic acid; Lactic Acid - blood; lactic acidosis; Lactobacillus; Lactobacillus - immunology; Male; Rumen - chemistry; Rumen - microbiology; rumen fluids; saliva; Saliva - chemistry; Streptococcus bovis; Streptococcus bovis - immunology; vaccination; vaccines
• ISSN: 0034-5288; 1532-2661
• DOI: 10.1053/rvsc.1998.0284

The present study was designed to investigate the efficacy of control of lactic acidosis by immunisation against lactic acid-producing bacteria,Streptococcus bovisandLactobacillus. Ten steers were allocated to two treatment groups. One group was immunised with a vaccine containingS. bovis(strain Sb-5) andLactobacillus(LB-27) cells, and the other was a non-immunised control group. The vaccine, using Freund’s complete adjuvant for primary immunisation and Freund’s incomplete adjuvant for boosters, was administered intramuscularly. After primary immunisation, boosters were given at 2 to 4 week intervals. Both anti-S. bovisand anti-LactobacillusIgG levels in saliva increased significantly (P < 0·01) after the 1st booster which were lower (P < 0·05) than the IgG levels after the 2nd and 3rd boosters, but were not significantly different (P > 0·05) from the IgG levels prior to a grain challenge (after the 4th booster). There were positive correlations between the anti-S.bovisand anti-LactobacillusIgG in serum and saliva. Compared with the control group, steers in the immunised group had higher (P < 0·05) feed intakes, lower (P < 0·05) rumen concentrations of lactate and lower numbers ofS. bovisandLactobacillus. Three of the control animals were withdrawn from the grain challenge due to their rumen pH persisting below 5·2, while only one animal in the immunised group was withdrawn. These results suggest that the risk of lactic acidosis can be reduced by immunisation againstS. bovisandLactobacillus.