THE USE OF A NONSPECIFIC DEFENSE-MECHANISM INDUCER IN CALVES EXPOSED TO BOVINE HERPESVIRUS-1 INFECTION - PRELIMINARY TRIALS

The efficacy of an immunomodulator, the Baypamun (Bayer AG), was teste d in calves which were subsequently exposed to bovine herpesvirus-1 (B HV-1) infection. Two groups of calves, of 8 animals each, were used fo r two trials. In one trial, 4 calves were treated with the immunomodul ator and the remaining 4 were left as untreated controls. Two hours af ter the first injection of Baypamun, all calves, i.e. the treated and the untreated ones, were challenged with BHV-1. Comparing them to the untreated controls, the calves which were given the immunomodulator de veloped milder signs of the disease and shed a significantly lower con centration of virus. In the second experiment, 4 calves were given Bay pamun and 4 calves were not, as above, but they were not inoculated wi th BHV-1; however, they were housed together with the calves of the fo rmer group (experimentally infected with BHV-1). The 8 calves all beca me infected but those that had been treated with Baypamun did not show any clinical signs of the disease, whereas the untreated calves under went a clinical response which was considered to be typical of BHV-1 r espiratory infection, as usually seen under natural conditions. In thi s case the shedding of virus by the calves treated with the immunomodu ltor also underwent a significant reduction.