The antibody response of sheep to vaccination against Johne's disease

Authors: West D, Hilbink F
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 38, Issue 4, pp 168-169, Dec 1990
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Livestock, Production animal, Ruminant, Sheep
Subject Terms: Animal remedies/veterinary medicines, Bacterial, Immune system/immunology, Mycobacterial, Wasting disease/disorder, Infectious disease, Disease/defect, Vaccination
Article class: Correspondence

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Abstract: Vaccination has been promoted for the control of Johne`s disease in sheep. At present vaccination is used especially in merino flocks. A licensed vaccine is now commercially available (Neoparasec, Rhone-Merieux Animal Health, Lower Hutt). This vaccine contains live Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in an oil-based adjuvant. One might expect that such a vaccine would cause a prolonged antibody response and, therefore, could interfere with the interpretation of the gel diffusion test (GDT) and the complement fixation test (CFT) which are both used widely for export certification and in the differential diagnosis of suspected clinical cases. To confirm this assumption, five flocks were tested with the CFI and the GDT at various times after vaccination. Another vaccinated flock of 40 animals was tested at closely spaced intervals over a period of 36 weeks…

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