Antibody response in cattle vaccinated against bluetongue serotype 8 in Italy.

ABSTRACT

To assess the immunogenicity of Zulvac 8 Bovis (a commercial inactivated vaccine against bluetongue virus serotype 8 - BTV8) under field conditions, 71 cattle vaccinated according to manufacturer schedule in Verona province (Italy) were tested for the presence of BTV8 neutralizing antibodies at 21, 29, 36, 43, 49, 102 and 201 days post-vaccination (dpv). Another group of 528 BTV8 vaccinated cattle in Mantova province (Italy) was also tested once between 113 and 174 dpv. The vaccine was able to elicit an immune response in 69 (97.2%) and 346 (65.5%) animals of the Verona and Mantova groups, respectively.