Malignant catarrhal fever (MCF), caused by alcelaphine herpesvirus-1 (AIHV-1) transmitted from wildebeest, is a lethal cattle disease with significant impacts on East African pastoralists. Development of a live attenuated MCF vaccine has prompted research into its use in communities at risk. We implemented a study to investigate the first utilisation of the MCF vaccine in locally owned cattle under field conditions. The study involved a primary two-dose course vaccination of 1,634 cattle, followed a year later, by boost vaccination of 385 of these cattle. The study aimed to: (a) evaluate the antibody response to a two-dose AlHV-1 primary vaccination course, including initial response, antibody levels after one year, and clinical events post-vaccination; (b) assess how factors like age, reproductive status, body condition, and breed influence the initial response; and (c) compare antibody responses to single-and two-dose booster protocols one year after primary vaccination.
We found that minor clinical incidents were reported in 11 out of 1634 cattle vaccinated during the primary course and in none out of 385 cattle during the boost regimens. This suggests that the vaccine is safe for use in cattle. Regarding the vaccine’s impact on immunity, the primary vaccination resulted in a 9-fold increase in antibody levels in comparison to pre-vaccination levels and the response was consistent across animals of different ages, reproductive statuses and body conditions. While antibody levels declined 11 months after primary vaccination, they remained relatively high, and a single-dose booster vaccination was sufficient to elicit a strong immune response, with only marginal increases after a second booster.
The study provides evidence that the vaccine elicits high levels of immunogenicity and low incidences of clinical events in cattle across a range of ages, reproductive statuses and body conditions, including immunologically vulnerable groups such as cattle that have recently lived through drought conditions, typical of the study area in northern Tanzania. The study also indicates that a single-dose booster regimen would be effective, reducing the need for multiple booster doses. These findings will support progress towards commercial production and larger-scale adoption which could generate important benefits for the livelihoods, and sustainability of pastoral livestock systems.
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