In Israel, occurrence of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in dairy farms is rare. However, when FMD outbreaks occur, dairy calves are the most affected, despite routine vaccination. Contradictory findings exist regarding the effect of age and maternally derived antibodies (MDA) on the serological response following vaccinations against FMD in dairy calves. Furthermore, the long term effect of FMD vaccination regimen during early life was rarely assessed. This study was conducted in order to assess both the short and long term effects. In total 44 non-vaccinated calves were divided into four groups of different age. Calves were vaccinated up to four times and 484 serum samples were collected on 11 time points in a period of 70weeks. Virus neutralizing tests were performed in order to determine the neutralizing antibody titers (NAT) against the vaccine strains (homologous serotypes): O-4625, O-Manisa, ASIA-1-Shamir and the heterologous serotype A-Turkey-20/2006. A similar NAT pattern was observed to all serotypes and therefore statistical analysis was restricted to O-4625 serotype. The MDA titer was negatively associated with the age of the calves and the MDA half-life was 22days. We demonstrated that early vaccination of calves (younger than three months) resulted in low NAT, even after four repeated vaccinations, compared with vaccination of calves older than three months. The percentage of time in which these calves had a NAT above 2.0 (log10) between the age of six months and 1.5years was significantly lower compared to older calves (older than three months). Additionally, we found that by increasing the frequency of vaccination in calves older than three months, it is possible to reach high NAT by the age of one year. Adoption of such a vaccination regimen in Israel as well as other FMD endemic countries may allow better protection against FMD in dairy calves and reduction in FMD incidence.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.07.052 | DOI Listing |
Vet Immunol Immunopathol
January 2025
Group for Reproduction in Animals, Vaccinology & Infectious Diseases (GRAVID™), College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-2771, United States.
Prev Vet Med
January 2025
School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington LE12 5RD, UK.
Whilst livestock management technologies may help to improve productivity, economic performance, and animal welfare on farms, there has been low uptake of technologies across farming systems and countries. This study aimed to understand dairy farmers' intention to use calf management technologies by combining partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) with qualitative comparative analysis (QCA). We evaluated the hypotheses that dairy farmers will intend to use calf technologies if they have sufficient competencies, sufficient materials, and positive meanings (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnimals (Basel)
January 2025
Department of Internal Medicine, Reproduction and Population Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Salisburylaan 133, 9820 Merelbeke, Belgium.
Telomere length (TL) has gained attention as a biomarker for longevity and productivity in dairy cattle. This study explored the association between neonatal TL in Holstein calves and lifetime parameters (lifespan, milk production, and reproduction). Blood samples were collected from 210 calves (≤10d old) across four dairy farms in Flanders, Belgium.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Dairy Sci
January 2025
Boehringer-Ingelheim Animal Health, Level 2, 3 Te Kehu Way, Mount Wellington, Auckland, New Zealand.
The aims of this study were to assess the effect of meloxicam at the time of lameness treatment for hoof-horn (HH) lesions in dairy cattle on 1) time to lameness soundness post trimming and block application and 2) reproductive success Five seasonal-calving pasture-based dairy farms located in the Waikato region of New Zealand were enrolled into a randomized clinical interventional trial. Farmers were tasked with identifying lame animals over a period of approximately -4 to 6 weeks relative to the herd start of mating (HSM), with lameness subsequently confirmed with lameness score (LS) by trained technicians (0-3 scale, where ≥2 are considered lame). Animals with a LS ≥2 were examined by a veterinarian who then enrolled animals if they presented lame with HH (white-line or sole) lesions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Dairy Sci
January 2025
ICREA (Institució de Recerca i Estudis Avançats), 08010 Barcelona, Spain; Department of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Universitat de Lleida, 25198 Lleida, Spain.
Sustainable alternatives to high environmental input feed ingredients are important to reducing the environmental impact of animal agriculture. Protein and oil extracted from cultivation of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae (BSFL) on waste feedstocks such as manure, food waste and plant residues could be a suitable source of nutrients. The oil from BFSL contains large amounts of saturated fatty acids, particularly lauric acid, and may be a more sustainable alternative to palm and coconut oils that are currently used in calf milk replacers in many parts of the world.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!