EFFICACY AND TOLERANCE OF AN INACTIVATED BHV1 MARKER VACCINE

Two groups of eight heifers were vaccinated subcutaneously or intramus cularly twice with a seven week interval with an inactivated gc-delete d BHV1 vaccine. Four cattle received an antigen free placebo, subcutan eously or intramuscularly on two occasions. The vaccine did not produc e any severe local reactions or general adverse effects. Seroconversio n occurred in all vaccinates but with no significant difference betwee n the groups. There was no difference following the challenge between the two vaccinated groups, but there was between these animals and con trols. All but four animals, two in each vaccination group, shed virus in nasal discharges following the first immunosuppression. Following a second immunosuppression no virus was isolated in only one of the fo ur heifers. The white blood cell picture and haematocrit remained norm al during the period of the trial. As already demonstrated in other tr ials it was shown that a vaccination cannot prevent Inter BHV1 infecti ons and subsequently a stage of latency. The vaccine can be considered as safe and efficacious, as expected from an inactivated herpes virus vaccine.