Duration of Immunity —
Confidence Labeled on the Vaccine

Take the guesswork out of managing respiratory disease.

A little extra information on a vaccine's label — like the duration of immunity (DOI) offered by the product — can help cattle producers select a respiratory vaccine that best fits their herd health program.

"Duration of immunity label claims can help give producers confidence that their cattle will be protected against respiratory disease throughout the high-challenge periods," says Jon Seeger, Pfizer Animal Health cattle and equine technical services.

Vaccines with demonstrated duration of immunity claims — based on disease challenge studies — help offer protection against the specific pathogen for at least the number of days stated on the label. Historically, duration of immunity data has not been required. This means, for example, that a label that reads "annual revaccination" may not denote disease protection for 12 months, Seeger says. He adds that since not all vaccines have the same, or any, duration of immunity label claims, producers should choose one that covers the desired phase of production.

"Producers need to think about the challenges and periods of stress cattle face on their operations," Seeger says. "Once they work with their veterinarian to determine their needs, producers can match this with the vaccine that has the capability to help provide protection for the entire production phase. The duration of immunity may be longer than what they need — it's most important that it doesn't fall short."

When managing respiratory disease challenges, Seeger recommends producers work with their veterinarian to develop a vaccination program that includes a respiratory vaccine such as Bovi-Shield Gold® 5. It helps provide the protection needed to help prevent respiratory disease through each production phase — allowing for maximum flexibility in timing vaccinations to when producers are handling cattle. In addition, it is the only viral respiratory vaccine that prevents infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR) virus and aids in the prevention of bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) virus Types 1 and 2 respiratory disease for at least 279 days.

Bovi-Shield Gold 5 prevents IBR respiratory disease, and IBR and BVD Types 1 and 2 Respiratory DOI claims apply only to the subcutaneous (sub-Q) route of administration. The intramuscular respiratory IBR claim is "aids in prevention." Additional studies have been performed to demonstrate its DOI, in addition to its superior label claims, Seeger adds.

"Duration of immunity information on the label helps producers take the guesswork out of understanding the protection provided by a vaccine," Seeger says. "It's an added value for the producer when this type of information is available."

Editor's Note: This article was provided as a release by Pfizer Animal Health.

[Click here to go to the top of the page.]