Response of Bali cattle (Bos javanicus) to vaccination with Brucella abortus strain 19 in West Timor

A trial was conducted in two villages tone containing cattle infected with brucellosis and one not containing infected cattle) in Timer, Indonesia to determine the serological response to vaccination with Brucella abortus str ain 19 in Ball cattle (Bos javanicus) (n = 599). Mature female cattle were immunised with low-dose strain 19 (2 x 10(8)-6 x 10(8) colony forming units ) and calves (6-12 months) with high-dose strain 19 (4 x 10(10)-12 x 10(10) colony forming units). Other mature females and calves were inoculated wit h sterile vaccine diluent and formed a non-vaccinated in-contact control gr oup. The seroprevalence and mean titres were highest in the vaccinated catt le 3 months after vaccination. These then receded, however, 1% of vaccinate d calves and 1.9% of vaccinated cows from the village without infected catt le were still seropositive on the complement-fixation test (CFT) 24 months after vaccination. Non-vaccinated seropositive animals were more likely to have aborted or had a stillbirth and were less likely to have produced a ca lf than were seronegative cows from the village containing infected animals . We concluded that strain 19 vaccine induced protection in Ball cattle and that this vaccine might play an important role in the control of bovine br ucellosis in Timer. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.