Dr. Dan Grooms presented this information for DAIReXNET on January 13th, 2014. For more information, please see our archived webinars page at www.extension.org/pages/15830/archived-dairy-cattle-webinars.

1. Basic Vaccinology:
Why Vaccines Work or Don't Work
Dr. Dan Grooms, Michigan State University
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2. Objectives
Lets think beyond just giving “shots”
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What are Vaccines
Types of Vaccines
Vaccine Failure
Vaccine Handling
Vaccine Risks
Process of Developing a Vaccine Protocol
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3. What Are Vaccines
 Substances that are designed to stimulate an immune
response that reduces the risk of a detrimental
condition
 Substances = antigens
 Immune Response = complex response to antigens
 Risk Reduction = no vaccines are 100% effective
 Detrimental Condition = disease, pathology, death, etc
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4. Vaccines Types
Attenuated
Killed
Bactrin
Autogenous
Virulent
Toxoids
Recombinant
Anti-toxin
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5. Attenuated Vaccines
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Also called “modified-live” or “live” vaccines
Live replicating organism with reduced virulence
Virus or Bacteria
Have been manipulated to reduce or eliminate their
ability to cause disease
 In order to work, they must replicate!!
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6. Attenuated Vaccines
 Advantages
 Closely simulate natural infection
 Stimulate humoral and cell mediated immunity
• Important for intracellular organisms such as viruses
 Adjuvants not as necessary
 Generally cheaper (Valley Vet On-Line 12-09-13)
• Pyramid 5 (MLV) 10 ds = $11.99
• Triangle (killed) 10 ds = $15.65
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7. Attenuated Vaccines
 Disadvantages
 Potential to cause pathology
• Replicating organism can cause mild signs - Brucellosis
• Intact virulence - BVDV, IBR
• Potential for reversion to virulence – low, low risk
 Contamination
• Jencine(4-way live vaccine) contaminated with non-cytopathic
BVDV
 Stability
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8. Killed vaccine
 Dead organism
 Bactrin = Killed bacterial suspension
 Key is maintaining antigenic integrity
 Usually require adjuvants to adequately
stimulate immune system
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9. Adjuvants
 Aid in stimulating immune response to antigen and
stabilizing vaccines
 Do not confer immunity
 Mechanisms
 Depot – prolonged exposure
• Oil adjuvants
 Irritants – amplify response around target antigens
• Aluminum hydroxide
• Toxins
• Adjuvants are not innocuous
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10. Killed Vaccines
 Advantages
 Generally safer
• No disease due to virulent organism
• No contamination
 Greater stability
 Disadvantages
 Hypersensitivity reactions (adjuvants, toxins or large antigen
loads)
 Endotoxins
 More costly
• Pyramid 5 (MLV) 10 ds = $11.99
• Triangle (killed) 10 ds = $15.65
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11. Toxoid
 Toxins are the major “virulence” factor of some
bacteria which cause disease:
 Toxoids contain chemically altered toxins
 Stimulate neutralizing antibodies to the toxin
 Examples
 Clostridium
• Tetnus toxoid
• C. perfringes C & D toxoid
 Mannheimia haemolytica
• Leukotoxin
 E.coli
• Endotoxic mastitis
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12. Autogenous Vaccines
 Made against “farm specific” pathogen
 Specific rules regulate their production
 Can only be used on the farm that organism was derived from
 Generally used when effective commercial vaccine is not
available
 Example
• Mycoplamsa bovis
• Clostridium perfringes
• Staph aureus
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13. Vaccine Failure
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14. Vaccine Failure
 REMEMEMBER - Vaccines are not 100% effective
 They are a tool to use in conjunction with other disease control tools
 However, there are things that can reduce efficiency
 Incorrect Administration
 Correct Administration
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15. Vaccine Failure
 Incorrect Administration
 Label directions not followed
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16. Follow the Directions
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17. -Dairy DisasterThe case of not reading the
label
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18. Dairy Disaster
 150 lactating cow dairy
 Acute out break of pneumonia in lactating herd
 Necropsy
 Severe Acute Emphysematous Bronchopneumonia
• Bovine Respiratory Syncytial virus
• Mannheimia Pasteurella
 45 vows died
 Entire herd treated with Ampicillin
 Lost milk for ~1 week
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20. Dairy Disaster
 Investigation
 Recent purchase of new clean-up bull
 Herd had been using a modified live viral vaccine that
DID NOT contain BRSV.
 Admitted, they had not read the label and purchased
from catalog because it was less expensive.
 Primary BRSV outbreak with secondary
Mannheimia haemolytica pneumonia = disaster!!
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21. Vaccine Failure
 Incorrect Administration
 Label directions not followed
 Correct Administration
 Poor Vaccine handling
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22. Vaccine Handling
• Vaccines are biological in nature, therefore very
sensitive to the environment.
• Damaging the vaccine components reduces the chance
of stimulating effective immune response
• Improper vaccine handling = Vaccine Failure
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23. Vaccine Handling
• Store refrigerated
– 40o F (4 Co)
– Not a bad idea to have internal
thermometer to monitor fridge
temp!
• DO NOT FREEZE
• Transport in cooler
• Stored in cooler in working area
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24. Vaccine Handling
• Protect from UV light
• Keep in dark covered
container
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25. Question?
 After mixing a Modified Live Virus vaccine how long
is it good for?
A. 4 hrs
B. 4 days
C. 4 weeks
D. 4 months
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26. Vaccine Handling
• Mix only enough vaccine
for 30 minutes of work
– Live vaccines are “dead”
within 4 hours after mixing
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27. Vaccine Handling
• Protect vaccine from contamination
– Do not enter bottles with dirty needles
– Capped needle for vaccine removal
– Transfer needles for mixing
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28. Vaccine Handling
• What about syringes and needles?
• Protect from heat
• Never use disinfectants on syringes
– Use hot water ONLY
– Then let air dry
• Do not disinfect needle between animals
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29. Vaccine Failure
 Incorrect Administration
 Label directions not followed
 Correct Administration
 Poor Vaccine handling
 Wrong vaccine – Clostridial vaccines
 Antigenic differences – BVDV
 Bad timing – Vaccination to protect fetus ½ way thru pregnancy
 Overwhelming exposure – commingled situations
 Animal fails to respond
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Immunosuppression – Post partum
Genetics
Nutrition
Passive immunity
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30. Vaccine Risks
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31. Vaccine Risks
 Injection site lesions
7-way clostridial vaccine given at 50 days of age,
slaughtered at 18 months of age
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32. Vaccine Risks
 Injection site lesions
 Type 1 hypersensitivity = Anaphylaxis =
Allergic Reaction
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33. Vaccine and Anaphylaxis
 Signs in Cattle
 Immediate to 30 minutes later
 Acute Respiratory Distress
 Muscle tremors
 Salivation
 Go down
 Treatment
 Epinephrine
• 1:1000
– ¼ - ½ cc/100# IV
– 1 cc/100# IM/SQ
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34. Vaccine Risks
 Injection site lesions
 Type 1 hypersensitivity (anaphylaxis)
 Endotoxins
 Endotoxins common with gram negative bactrins
 “Endotoxin stacking” – Additive effect from giving multiple gram
negative bactrins
 Results
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Anaphylaxis
Sick calves
Abortion
Decreased milk production
 Limit number of gram negative bactrins given at one time to 2.
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35. Gram Negative Bactrins
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Salmonella
E. coli
Pasteurella
Mannheimia
Leptospirosis
Moraxella
Histophilus
• Vibrio
• Brucella
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36. Vaccine Risks
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Injection site lesions
Type 1 hypersensitivity (anaphylaxis)
Endotoxins
Residual virulence
 Attenuated vaccines
• Brucellosis vaccines RB-51
• Shedding
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37. Vaccine Risks
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Injection site lesions
Type 1 hypersensitivity (anaphylaxis)
Endotoxins
Residual virulence
Human Health Issues
 Brucella abortus
 Johne’s Vaccine
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38. Designing a Vaccine Program
What must be considered when deciding what vaccines to
use or recommend?
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40. Veterinary Client Patient Relationship
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41. Vaccines
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42. Questions and Discussion
Dan Grooms DVM, PhD
groomsd@cvm.msu.edu
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