The confusing maze of cattle vaccines

Among the plethora of cattle products and pharmaceutical companies on the market, it can be overwhelming to choose products for your operation. Understanding vaccine types such as modified live virus, killed and autogenous vaccines, as well as how vaccines are created and their intended purpose can help guide decision-making.

To simplify vaccine types, I would classify vaccines into two general categories. First, we have vaccines intended for viral or bacterial diseases. Vaccines created for viral diseases are typically MLV vaccines or killed virus vaccines.

Vaccines created for bacterial diseases are usually made from small portions of the bacteria or from the entire bacteria itself. It is also important to understand if the vaccine is for gram-positive or gram-negative bacteria. Typically, vaccines created for gram-negative bacteria can have a more noticeable impact on the animal.

Another important part of the vaccine is the adjuvant or liquid that carries the vaccine. Some companies have developed special adjuvants to increase the immune response that occurs when the vaccine is given.

Next, I would consider the intended purpose of the vaccine.

Generally, vaccines are created either to prevent infection or to reduce the severity of clinical disease. For example, bovine viral diarrhea vaccines are meant to prevent infection. However, vaccines created for mastitis, such as the J-Vac or J-5 lines, are meant to reduce the severity of disease when coliform mastitis does occur, but do not actually prevent the occurrence of coliform mastitis.

When using vaccines, there are some important rules of thumb. First, weather is important. Avoid administering multiple vaccines during periods of extreme heat.; in fact, it may be better to delay vaccination with even one product if the weather forecast calls for extreme heat. If you must vaccinate on hot days, do so in the early morning to avoid the hottest parts of the day. Additionally, keep the vaccine in a cooler with ice packs to prevent it from heating and becoming ineffective. I might also avoid vaccinating during periods of extreme cold due to the challenges of handling. Products sometimes freeze in the needle or syringe when it is very cold.

Second, not all vaccines should be used in combination. Remember that some vaccines are created for gram-negative bacteria. Gram-negative vaccines tend to contain high amounts of antigen or substance that triggers an immune response. I do not recommend three gram-negative vaccines at the same time due to the high risk of anaphylactic reactions and drop in animal performance. Normally, I would try to use a maximum of any two vaccines together, though I do occasionally make exceptions to the rule.

Read the label (or ask someone to read the label for you). It is important to know which products need subcutaneous versus intramuscular administration. Some products also require timely boosters to maximize their effectiveness. Adhering to the booster schedule can also be important if you experience a problem with the vaccine and request support from the company that manufactured the product.

Occasionally, some products do not have a vaccine booster recommendation, but I recommend a booster anyway. Why? I don’t believe that 100% of animals will fully respond to the vaccine the first time. To achieve 100% response, everyone must have a perfect day. The animals feel well and have minimal stress, the weather is ideal, people must mix and administer product perfectly and disease challenge is moderate or low in the environment.

How long are vaccines good for? It depends on the product. MLV vaccines must be mixed and I highly recommend using the entire contents within one hour of mixing. Killed vaccines are typically already mixed when purchased and can be used over a period of time. Avoid puncturing the top of the bottle many times or getting it very dirty. It is possible to contaminate those bottles and have negative side effects as a result. Some bottle labels will specify the maximum number of punctures.

Did your vaccine freeze? If yes, do not continue using it. Freezing can significantly increase the risk of allergic reactions and render the vaccine ineffective. Using a cooler with small bottles of hot water inside can prevent freezing in cold weather.

Regarding slaughter withdrawals, vaccines generally carry a recommendation for slaughter withdrawal due to the injection. Most are 21-day or 60-day withdrawals.

If you reuse syringes or utilize multidose syringes, do not use chemicals or soap to clean them. Use hot water only to clean. Traces of disinfectant can remain even after rinsing thoroughly, which will deactivate vaccines.

One vaccine type not mentioned yet is autogenous vaccines. As defined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, these are custom vaccines that consist of herd-specific antigens. Autogenous vaccines are produced in facilities licensed by the USDA and typically require herd veterinarian supervision. In our practice, we utilize an autogenous vaccine when a commercial product has failed to provide protection or there are no commercial products available. To create autogenous vaccines, operations will need to collect diagnostic samples to create the custom product.

Be sure to reach out to your trusted veterinary resource to help weed your way through the products available and create a suitable protocol that you can implement on the farm.

Megan Weisenbeck is one of five veterinarians at Northern Valley Livestock Services in Plainview, Minnesota. She practices primarily dairy production medicine in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Megan can be reached at meganweisenbeck.dvm@gmail.com.