Field trial of a combined vaccine against caprine contagious agalactia: Humoral immune response in lactating goats

• Published in: The veterinary journal (1997) Vol. 174; no. 3; pp. 610 - 615
• Main Authors: de la Fe, Christian, Assunção, Patricia, Saavedra, Pedro, Ramírez, Ana, Poveda, José B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2007
• Subjects: agalactia; aluminum hydroxide; Animals; Antibodies, Bacterial - blood; Antibody Formation - immunology; Bacterial Vaccines - administration & dosage; Bacterial Vaccines - immunology; Caprine contagious agalactia; Combined vaccine; combined vaccines; contagious agalactia; Female; Field trial; goat diseases; Goat Diseases - immunology; Goat Diseases - microbiology; Goat Diseases - prevention & control; Goats; Humoral immune response; humoral immunity; Immunoglobulin G - blood; Lactation; Mice; Mycoplasma agalactiae; Mycoplasma agalactiae - immunology; Mycoplasma Infections - immunology; Mycoplasma Infections - microbiology; Mycoplasma Infections - prevention & control; Mycoplasma Infections - veterinary; Mycoplasma mycoides - immunology; Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides; mycoplasmosis; saponins; Time Factors; vaccination; vaccine adjuvants; vaccines; Combined vaccine; Humoral immune response; Field trial; Caprine contagious agalactia
• ISSN: 1090-0233; 1532-2971
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2006.10.021

Two vaccines against Mycoplasma agalactiae and Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides (large colony type) were developed using inactivated strains selected in previous characterization studies. Formaldehyde and phenol were used as the inactivating agents for vaccines A and B, respectively. Aluminium hydroxide plus purified saponin (Quil-A) were added to both vaccines as adjuvant. The field trial was designed to evaluate the specific humoral immune response to the two mycoplasma species in lactating goats over a period of 7 months. The vaccines were tested on 120 goats randomly assigned to three groups of 40 animals each. Two groups received two injections of vaccine A or B respectively, and a third group remained in the herd as control. Antibody titres determined by ELISA indicated a significant difference between both vaccines and the control group over a 6-month period. Immunoblotting assays also revealed the production of antibodies against the two mycoplasma species. Further field trials are underway to evaluate the efficacy and protection conferred to the animals by these specific antibodies.