Influence of maternal antibody on efficacy of embryo vaccination with cell-associated and cell-free Marek's disease vaccine

Vaccination with turkey herpesvirus (HVT) of 18-day-old chicken embryos from a commercial source or from a cross (15 X 7) of two inbred lines induced better protection against early post-hatch challenge with virulent Marek's disease virus (MDV) than vaccination at hatch, despite the presence in embryos of maternally derived antibodies to HVT or to HVT and MDV. However, 50%-protective-dose (PD50) assays revealed that maternal antibodies in embryos reduced vaccine efficacy. The PD50 assays were conducted by vaccinating 15 X 7 embryos with serial dilutions of HVT at the 18th day of incubation. Embryonally vaccinated and unvaccinated chicks were challenged with MDV on the day of hatch. In the absence of maternal antibodies, the PD50 values in plaque-forming units for cell-associated and cell-free HVT were 57 and 328, respectively. In the presence of maternal antibodies, PD50 values for cell-associated and cell-free HVT were 105 and greater than 4,000, respectively.     

Experimentally induced infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis: resistance of vaccinated cattle to homologous and heterologous strains of Moraxella bovis.

In studies to determine whether vaccination with one strain of Moraxella bovis would protect against challenge with virulent homologous or heterologous strains, calves were intramuscularly inoculated 3 times with formalin-killed M bovis, with 14 days between inoculations. Fourteen days after the 3rd vaccinal dose was given, all calves were exposed to homologous or heterologous virulent cultures of M bovis. The results indicated that vaccination with one strain of M bovis may induce protective immunity against homologous and heterologous challenge exposure; however, because vaccinated cattle resisted infection and disease produced by a homologous strain to a greater extent than they resisted those produced by heterologous strains, polyvalent vaccines or highly immunogenic common antigens may be needed to protect cattle against the numerous strains they might encounter under natural field conditions. There was minimal correlation between the presence of precipitating antibodies against the heterologous strains and the establishment of infection and disease.     

Observations on the possible invasiveness of Clostridium botulinum for waterfowl.

Twenty-four ducklings given multiple doses of Clostridium botulinum type C spores and toxin per os and 27 affected waterfowl from four natural outbreaks of the disease were examined bacteriologically. No evidence of invasion of the blood or liver was found in any bird and it is suggested that invasiveness and toxigenesis in internal organs are probably of little, if any, importance in the causation of botulism in waterfowl.     

Primary orthostatic tremor in Great Danes

Two Great Danes were presented for an investigation of 6-month histories of incessant tremor of all 4 limbs and trunk occurring only when the dogs were standing at rest. Dog 1 was a 2-year-old intact female harlequin Great Dane living in the UK, and dog 2 was a 2-year-old castrated male fawn Great Dane living in the United States. The owners described both dogs as having constant quivering of the limbs while standing, suggestive of an involuntary dance, since the age of 18 months. The intensity of the tremors was reported in both dogs to have steadily increased since onset. In dog 1, tremors were noticed to be more pronounced in the fore limbs when she was eating and more pronounced in the hind limbs when she was trying to sit. The owner of dog 1 also reported that the dog could no longer assume a position of recumbency without manual assistance because of the severity of the tremors. Intermittently, tremors were reported to involve the facial musculature of dog 2. Vaccinations were current, and the owners of both dogs did not report any previous medical history, exposure to natural or manufactured toxins, or concurrent treatment. No familial relationship was identified between these 2 dogs.