The scientist spoke about the prevention of respiratory diseases in calves

These are vaccines against parainfluenza-3, infectious rhinotracheitis, CORONAVIRUS infection, viral diarrhea and cattle pasteurellosis . In addition, a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus infection is being developed.

Today, there are live and inactivated vaccines of both domestic and foreign production on the Russian market. According to Alexander Kononov, DOCTOR of Veterinary Sciences, HEAD of the Laboratory of Biotechnology and Design of Viral Preparations of the ARRIAH, the combinations of antigens in their compositions differ slightly, and most domestic biological preparations completely cover the line of imported analogues in relation to the prevention of viral diseases in calves. “However, live components are present in some imported drugs, so when vaccinating in Russian livestock farms, it is necessary to take into account the risks from their use,” he says.

To understand which vaccine will be effective in a particular livestock enterprise, it is necessary to determine the pathogen, which is the main etiological agent in respiratory pathology.

“In the case of an associative course of pathology (this is the most common case), polyvalent vaccines are used. They can contain both viral and bacterial antigens in combination,” the scientist explains.

Among the main disadvantages of live biological products is the possibility of reversion of the vaccine strain and the manifestation of post-vaccination reactions. That is why it is not recommended to use live vaccines on a weakened population and among animals with low resistance.

“The main advantage of inactivated vaccines is their safety for livestock. Taking into account the fact that in a number of livestock farms in our country there are problems associated with low animal resistance and violation of veterinary and sanitary requirements for keeping cattle, the safety criterion for inactivated vaccines is very relevant,” continues Alexander Kononov.

The effectiveness of vaccination is influenced by a complex of factors: the resistance of the body or the ability of the immune system to give a full response to the introduction of the vaccine antigen, as well as the quality of the vaccine used or the activity of the antigen in its composition. According to the expert, special attention should be paid to the human factor. Most often, it consists in violations of the vaccination schedule due to negligence and the unwillingness of the owner of the animals to spend money on laboratory tests to determine the root causes of respiratory diseases. Also, the effectiveness of vaccination is affected by the conditions of storage of biological products, the method and quality of their administration, the conditions of keeping animals.