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VACCINES - CATTLE

Note for Farmers:

This information is provided by Provet for educational purposes only.

You should seek the advice of your veterinarian if your stock are ill as only he or she can correctly advise on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for your animals.

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Description
Vaccines provide animals with protection against serious infectious diseases or toxins. They can work in several ways :

  • Passive Immunity - antiserum (ready-made antibodies) is injected into the animal to immediately attack the infection. Immunity of this type is only short-acting as long as the antibodies are active in the blood, usually 3-12 weeks. An example of this type of vaccine is antiserum against tetanus.
  • Active Immunity - injecting live or inactivated organisms (or fragments of the organism, or inactivated toxins) into an animal stimulates the animals immune system to produce antibodies against the infectious agent or toxin in the vaccine. Most cattle vaccines are of this type and they are used against bacteria, viruses or parasites. Protection generally lasts longer with live vaccines than with killed vaccines 

Interference with the development of immunity following vaccination can occur in certain circumstances :

Cattle Vaccines Available in the UK

Cattle in the UK can be vaccinated against :

  • Blackleg (a Clostridial infection)
  • Bovine Herpesvirus
  • Bovine Parainfluenza Virus
  • E.coli (a bacterial infection)
  • Leptospirosis (a bacterial infection)
  • Louping Ill
  • Lungworm (a parasitic infection)
  • Pasteurella (a bacterial infection)
  • Respiratory Syncytial Virus
  • Ringworm (a fungal infection)
  • Rotavirus
  • Salmonella (a bacterial infection)
  • Bovine Viral Diarrhoea virus
  • Bovine Viral Pneumonia
  • Tetanus (a Clostridial infection)

Vaccines can either be given individually or in combination together.

Details of individual vaccinations can be found by referring to each disease information sheet. 

Contraindications
Cattle should not be vaccinated if they  :

  • Are not well
  • Have a high body temperature
  • Are within 6 weeks of having been given corticosteroids or other drugs that can reduce the immune response
  • Have been treated with antibiotics which might affect the live organisms in a vaccine
  • Stressed

Side Effects
There are a number of side-effects that may be seen following vaccination, including the following :

  • The organisms in live vaccines can sometimes cause mild signs of the disease and they can be transferred to other animals in a herd and cause mild signs of disease in them as well
  • Live vaccines may damage the fetus in pregnant animals, so they should not be used in pregnant animals if a killed vaccine is available.
  • Some live vaccines can result in a long term "latent" infection which may affect blood tests and have implications on the future movement of animals
  • Vaccines can cause a local reaction and irritation at the site of injection
  • Hair loss, and sometimes a change of hair colour can occur at the injection site
  • If the vaccine is administered by injection without cleaning the skin surface infection may be introduced into the site resulting in abscess formation
  • Rarely an individual animal may show a severe shock (anaphylactic) reaction following vaccination. In cattle this most often shows as sudden onset breathing difficulty. Prompt veterinary attention is needed or the animals life can be at risk.

Storage
Vaccines will lose their potency if they are not stored properly. They should be stored as specified by the manufacturers, and usually this will require storage in a refrigerator at 2-8o C. Most vaccines should not be frozen, and they should not be allowed to come into contact with direct sunlight, or disinfectants.

Administration
Vaccines can be administered by various routes, but subcutaneous or intramuscular injection is the most common route. The intranasal route is used for some vaccines against respiratory diseases.

The skin at the injection site should be cleaned and wiped with spirit, and sterile syringes and needles should always be used . Repeated use of the same needle increases the risk of transmission of disease between animals and should be discouraged.

Health and Safety Considerations
All sharps used in the vaccination process (glass vials, needles etc) should be placed into an approved sharps box, and be disposed of by an approved method.

Vaccines should be handled with care, and every precaution should be taken to avoid accidental injection of the person administering the vaccine, or an assistant restraining the animal.

Vaccines that are oil-based cause a severe, painful swelling if self-injected and they can result in loss of a finger due to reduced blood supply caused by the vaccine.

Some live vaccines are potential harmful to people, for example toxoplasmosis vaccine should not be handled by pregnant women, young fertile women, or people with poor immune systems. Protective gloves and eye goggles should be worn when handling these vaccines.

 

 

Frequency of Administration
 The frequency of administration of vaccines depends on several factors including the following :

  • the type of vaccine
  • the age of the animal
  • the circumstances under which the vaccine is being given, and 
  • the route of administration. 

The following table gives a list of Cattle vaccines available in the UK, but individual recommendations may change from time to time, so veterinary advice should always be sought.

Vaccine Against Type of vaccine and route of administration Vaccination Protocol
Blackleg & Tetanus - caused by Clostridial (bacterial) infections, some of which may also cause diarrhoea (enteritis or scours) Mixed inactivated Clostridial vaccines given by injection 

Antitoxins - give passive protection which lasts for only 3-4 weeks

 These vaccines should be given 2-4 weeks before a period of risk and cattle are given 2 doses at 3-6 week intervals.

Booster vaccines are recommended every 12 months
Bovine Herpesvirus 1 (causes infectious bovine rhinotracheitis - IBR) Live vaccine given by Intranasal route (squirted into the nose) - gives protection in 40-72 hours OR by injection gives protection in 7-10 days The vaccine can be given to calves over 3-4 weeks, with revaccination at 12-14 weeks. A booster vaccine is recommended every 12 months.
Bovine Parainfluenza Virus 3 (PI3) Live vaccine given intranasally to calves and young cattle. A single dose is given to calves at 12 weeks of age OR a dose at 3-4 weeks age followed by a booster vaccine dose at 10-12 weeks
E.Coli , Pasteurella  and Salmonella - bacterial infections that cause diarrhoea (scours or enteritis)

Also may include rotavirus

 Antiserum - given to animals during periods of risk Given by injection

Antisera plus inactivated vaccine combinations. Given by injection.

 At risk calves are given antiserum soon after birth then every 10-14 days.

2 doses of vaccine are given with a 14-21 interval between them and pregnant cattle should be given their second dose 3 weeks before calving. 

Yearly boosters are given 3-4 weeks before calving
Leptospirosis Inactivated vaccines given by injection.  Cattle over 5 months of age are given 2 doses with an interval of 4-6 weeks between them.

Yearly booster vaccinations are recommended every spring
Louping Ill - caused by a flavivirus transmitted from ticks.  Inactivated vaccine given by injection 2 doses are given with an interval of 3-26 weeks, timed so that the second dose is given 2 weeks before exposure to tick-infested pastures.

Booster vaccination is needed every 12 months.
Lungworm  (also called husk) - caused by a parasite called Dictyocaulus viviparous

 

 Live vaccine of parasite larvae given by injection. Immunity develops 2 weeks after the second dose Cattle over 8 weeks of age are given 2 doses with an interval of 4 weeks between them
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Live or killed vaccines. Calves are vaccinated 2-3 times at 3 week intervals
Ringworm - caused by a fungal infection called Trichophyton verrucosum Live vaccine. Given by injection Whole herd vaccinated with 2 doses with an interval of 10-14 days between them. . Then at 2 weeks age new calves are vaccinated and a second dose is given 10-14 days later.
Bovine Viral Diarrhoea Virus Inactivated vaccine given by injection One dose given 28 days before insemination, second dose 3 weeks later. 

2 dose vaccination repeated at each insemination
Bovine Viral Pneumonia Combination vaccines with PI3 and IBR components as above. Given by Intranasal route. As above

 

Withdrawal Periods
 Cattle can not be sent for slaughter and milk may not be sent for human consumption after the administration of some medications. Vaccines usually have a withdrawal period of nil for slaughter and milk.