Assessing Vaccine Efficacy in the Feedlot

Authors

  • Carl S. Ribble Department of Herd Medicine and Theriogenology, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0W0 Canada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21423/aabppro19916737

Keywords:

bovine practitioner, bacterin, toxoid, vaccine, bovine respiratory disease, Haemophilus somnus bacterin, BRD

Abstract

How can you decide which vaccines to recommend to your feedlot clients? The purpose of this presentation is to develop a framework for the bovine practitioner for assessing the value of a commercial bacterin, toxoid, or vaccine by examining the scientific literature. A logical approach to reading this literature would help differentiate published trials that could help you in practice from useless or entirely misleading trials. The principles are also extremely useful for carrying out trials within feedlots in your own practice.

To demonstrate, I will refer generally to bovine respiratory disease (BRD) vaccines, and more specifically to recent research examining the effectiveness of a particular commercial Haemophilus somnus bacterin. Determining the effectiveness of this bacterin could be difficult because the organism is associated with a variety of clinical diseases, referred to generally as hemophilosis,1 and it has been implicated as one of the potential initiators of the BRD complex.2,3 How do you decide whether to recommend the use of this bacterin, or any other vaccine, for the prevention of hemophilosis or BRD?

Cover image of the 24th Conference Proceedings: A herd of cattle stand in a green field beneath two palm trees. In the foreground is a mother cow, resting her head on the back of her calf, who is nestled against her side. Beneath the photo is the conference theme, written in black italics: Go For The Magic In Orlando. Light blue background.

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Published

1991-09-18

Issue

1991

Section

Feedlot Session II