Oral Presentation International Pasteurellaceae Conference 2014

Bovilis MH vaccine provides partial protection against pneumonia in lambs induced by a heterologous serotype of Mannheimia haemolytica (#35)

Tao Zheng 1 , Sandeep Gupta 1 , Allison McCarthy 1 , John Moffat 2 , Bryce Buddle 1
  1. Animal Nutrition & Health, AgResearch Ltd, Palmerston North, New Zealand
  2. MSD Animal Health Limited, Merck Animal Health, Upper Hutt, New Zealand

Ovine pneumonia is an economic important disease and there is currently no commercial vaccine available in New Zealand. Bovilis MH is a registered bovine respiratory vaccine based on serotype A1 Mannheimia haemolytica and its leukotoxin. In this study, we investigated the protective effect of the vaccine in lambs against a challenge with a serotype A2 M. haemolytica. Colostrum-deprived lambs were recruited into a vaccine (n=12) or placebo (n=12) group. At 4-5 weeks of age, lambs in the vaccine group were injected subcutaneously with 1 ml Bovilis MH vaccine, and revaccinated 4 weeks later, while the placebo group received 1 ml saline at each occasion. Two weeks after the revaccination, all lambs were challenged intratracheally with parainfluenza virus 3, and with A2 M. haemolytica at day 7 post-viral challenge. After the M. haemolytica challenge, pyrexia and dyspnoea occurred on fewer occasions in the vaccine group compared to the placebo group, but not significantly (p = 0.10). The average lung consolidation percentage for the vaccine and placebo groups were 18.9% and 38.8%, respectively (p = 0.181). The vaccine group had a significantly lower lung/bodyweight percentage than the placebo group (1.45 ± 0.29 vs 2.04 ± 0.94, p = 0.047), suggesting the vaccine group had significantly less inflamed lungs than that in the placebo group. The vaccine group had significantly higher antibody titres 2 weeks post revaccination to antigens of M. haemolytica and leukotoxin from A1 and A2 serotypes than that for the placebo group (p < 0.05). The results suggested that the Bovilis MH vaccine provided partial protection against pneumonia in lambs induced by a heterologous serotype of M. haemolytica. The protective efficacy of Bovilis MH against ovine pneumonia now requires to be tested in the field situation.