NEW VACCINE FOR CATTLE PNEUMONIA

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NEW VACCINE FOR CATTLE PNEUMONIA
15 October 2006 - CSIRO

A vaccine for a major bacterial cattle disease, bovine respiratory disease, which currently costs the Australian feedlot industry around $60m a year, is now available in Australia.

Developed by CSIRO Livestock Industries and the Cooperative Research Centre for Cattle and Beef Quality, the vaccine (Bovilis MH) is being manufactured and marketed by one of the world's largest veterinary products companies, Intervet.

The first vaccine of its kind to be made available in Australia, Bovilis MH will reduce the use of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs currently used in the treatment of BRD.

CSIRO Livestock Industries project leader, Dr Chris Prideaux, says BRD is caused by a variety of factors.

"The disease, also known as 'shipping fever', is a complex form of pneumonia in which viruses can predispose an animal to bacterial infection."

"It can manifest when cattle stress levels are raised and this is when their immune status is compromised," Dr Prideaux says.

The vaccine, Bovilis MH, provides protection against Mannheimia haemolytica, the main bacterial pathogen associated with BRD.

"This is the first time that we have a vaccine that tackles Mannheimia haemolytica and also immunises cattle against leukotoxin," Dr Prideaux says.

According to Intervet Australia's R&D and Regulatory Affairs Manager, Dr Neil Sammons, Bovilis MH is one of a suite of cattle and pig vaccines the company is developing for Australian producers.

"The product is highly competitive for the Australian market, and producers using it should expect immediate and significant productivity savings," Dr Sammons says.

He says the vaccine will also improve the general welfare of cattle kept under intensive management systems.

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