Protection of ewes vaccinated with A22 strain Chlamydia psittaci (ovis) against challenge in pregnancy with homologous and heterologous strains of the organism

Fifty ewes were randomly divided into four groups. Groups A and B were vaccinated with an experimental vaccine derived from the A22 isolate of Chlamydia psittaci (ovis), an isolate known to cause ovine enzootic abortion (OEA). Groups C and D were unvaccinated controls. In mid-pregnancy, animals in group A and C were challenged with live A22 C. psittaci (ovis) and those in B and D were challenged with a field isolate of the organism (BS) against which the commercially available A22 vaccine appeared to offer poor protection. In group A, three animals showed clinical signs of OEA and six excreted chlamydiae. In group B, five ewes showed clinical signs of OEA and excreted chlamydiae. In group C, three ewes had clinical signs of OEA but seven excreted chlamydiae. In group D, all 11 ewes showed clinical signs of OEA and excreted chlamydiae in the products of parturition. This group produced only four live lambs with an average weight of viable lamb per ewe of 1.4 kg, whereas the other groups each produced 12 or 13 lambs with an average weight of viable lamb per ewe of more than 4 kg. The BS isolate was much more virulent than the A22 isolate for unvaccinated, pregnant ewes. However, the A22 vaccine offered significant protection against the heterologous BS isolate although on this occasion it did not appear to alter the course of disease produced by the less pathogenic A22 isolate.