Assessment of vaccine efficacy in early-weaned beef calves challenged with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV)

Abstract

Early weaning of beef calves is a management strategy that beef cattle producers can implement to reduce their forage needs and maintain the cow herd during severe drought. To ensure the economic success of early weaning, adequate vaccination protocols must be implemented. Vaccination of young calves against BVDV is a key management strategy to prevent economic losses associated with disease caused by BVDV in beef herds. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of different BVDV vaccines for protecting calves against virulent BVDV challenge 45 days after vaccination, and the effect of BVDV vaccination on weight gain of early-weaned beef calves that become acutely infected with BVDV.