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Vaccinating against Q-fever with an inactivated phase-I vaccine (COXEVAC®) improves reproductive performance in Coxiella burnetti-infected dairy herds
Authors
I. Lopez-Helguera (Department of Animal Production, Agrotecnio, University of Lleida, Spain); J. Tutusaus (Department of Animal Production, Agrotecnio, University of Lleida, Spain); A. H. Souza (University of California Cooperative Extension, Tulare, CA, USA); A. Jimenez (Ceva Animal Health, Barcelona, Spain); J. Muñoz-Bielsa (Ceva Animal Health, Libourne, France); I. Garcia-Ispierto (Department of Animal Production, Agrotecnio, University of Lleida, Spain)
Publication information
World Buiatric Congress 2016
INTRODUCTION
Coxiella burnetii is an obligate intracellular Gram negative bacterium that causes Q-fever, an endemic worldwide zoonosis. The described clinical signs ...
OBJECTIVES
The present study was designed to assess the effect of vaccination against Q-fever on subsequent postpartum reproductive performance of dairy cows. The study was performed in two commercial high producing Holstein-Friesian dairy herds in north eastern Spain with a regular weekly calving .
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Individual blood tests were performed in heifers (> 12 m) and cows to determine the C. burnetii antibody status. A commercial indirect ELISA Q-FEVER kit (CoxLS kit, Lissieu, France) was used to determine antibodies against C. burnetii in serum samples. Animals were then blocked by serology status and randomly assigned to an untreatedControl (n = 301) or vaccine (n = 310) group. Cows in the vaccine group received 2 injections 3 weeks apart of 4 mL of inactivated phase I C. burnetii vaccine (Coxevac®, Ceva Animal Health) on Days 171–177 and 192–198 of gestation. Each 4mL vaccine-dose contained purified phase I C. burnetii corpuscular antigens (100 mg/mL) inactivated by formaldehyde.
RESULTS
Overall, 24.9% of cows were seropositive for C. burnetii (herd-A 24.7% and herd-B 25.6%. Conception to 1st postpartum AI (CR1AI) in cows receiving Coxevac® was significantly greater than non-vaccinated cohorts (41.9% vs 30.1%; P=0.04). In addition, cows receiving Coxevac® had shortened calving-to-conception intervals (CCI) than Controls (92 vs 106 days; P<0.01). There were no interactions (P>0.10) between treatment and serology status and parity on CCI or number of AI per pregnancy.
CONCLUSIONS
Vaccination against C. burnetii with Coxevac® during the dry-period significantly improved conception results to 1st postpartum AI and shortened CCI. Assuming costs of each day open as 5€, reducing CCI in 14 days would represent a financial gain for the producer of 70€/cow/lactation period.
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