Abstract
Vaccination is widely regarded as a cornerstone in animal or herd health and infectious disease management. Nineteen vaccines against the major pathogens implicated in bovine respiratory disease are registered for use in the UK by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). However, despite annual prophylactic vaccination, bovine respiratory disease is still conservatively estimated to cost the UK economy approximately £80 million per annum. This review examines the vaccine types available, discusses the surrounding literature and scientific rationale of the limitations and assesses the potential of novel vaccine technologies.
Highlights
Bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC) is the principal cause of mortality in calves from 1–24 months of age across the world [1]
Respiratory disease can occur throughout the year, BRDC is largely seasonal in nature with outbreaks occurring within one month of housing in autumn or early winter, vaccination usually occurs in late summer [15]
The majority of candidate vaccines using bovine respiratory pathogens as viral vectors focus on bovine RSV—as the model of Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) disease in calves mirrors that of RSV infection in infants, this can be considered a reflection of the medical urgency for a human RSV vaccine
Summary
Bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC) is the principal cause of mortality in calves from 1–24 months of age across the world [1]. It has a significant impact on the global economy—the National Animal Disease Information Service (NADIS) estimates a cost to the UK alone of £80 million per annum, with over 1.9 million animals affected [2]. (2) Transport: There is a strong link between transport and BRDC-related morbidity [29] In terms of both distance and method, transport is acknowledged as being a major stressor for cattle and calves are at the highest risk of developing respiratory disease just after shipment [30]. Clinical disease is frequently most severe in calves under 6 months of age, even in those with maternal antibodies [51]
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