Effect of timing of prepartum vaccination relative to pen change with an acidogenic diet on lying time and metabolic profile in Holstein dairy cows

Vaccination for the Prevention of Neonatal Calf Diarrhea in Cow-Calf Operations: A Scoping Review

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Since 1950, 113 articles on vaccines for the prevention of neonatal calf diarrhea have been published in the English literature

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Results for field trials using commercial vaccines for E. coli, bovine rotavirus, and bovine coronavirus infections are variable

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No field trials for commercial Salmonella vaccines have shown efficacy

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Vaccines for protozoal pathogens causing calf scours as well as the importance of several emerging enteric viruses of cattle need further research

Neonatal calf diarrhea (NCD), also known as scours, is an important disease of preweaned calves that affects the production and welfare of beef herds. While hygiene and nutrition are important in reducing the incidence of NCD, vaccination of dams or calves is often employed for the prevention of NCD. The present scoping review summarizes the available peer-reviewed scientific English literature on vaccination of dams or calves for the prevention of NCD over the past decades. The online databases Medline, CAB Abstracts, and Biosis were searched for articles on the topic published between 1950 and 2020. Online software was used to systematically evaluate 2807 citations for inclusion through pre-determined criteria in a 2-step process. In the 113 articles included in the review, vaccines tested targeted the pathogens E. coli (n = 43), bovine rotavirus (BRV, n = 38), Salmonella (n = 29), bovine coronavirus (BCV, n = 14), bovine viral diarrhea virus (n= 7), and other pathogens (n = 8). Field trials for commercial vaccines have been published for the most important pathogens, and results on efficacy are variable for such vaccines targeting BRV, BCV, and E. coli. Meta-analyses exploring efficacy of these vaccines would be helpful to practitioners and producers. No field studies on commercial products have shown efficacy for Salmonella vaccines so that a meta-analysis would unlikely come to a different conclusion. Further research is needed on vaccines for protozoal pathogens like Cryptosporidium parvum as well as on the importance of several emerging enteric viruses in calves.

Effects of prepartum vaccination timing relative to pen change with an acidogenic diet on serum and colostrum immunoglobulins in Holstein dairy cows

The objective of the present study was to assess the effects of prepartum vaccination timing relative to pen change with an acidogenic diet at 28 or 21 d before expected parturition (dpp) on colostral and serum IgG concentrations at calving in pregnant Holstein dairy cows. Pregnant multiparous Holstein cows (n = 308) from one large dairy herd were randomly allocated into 1 of 3 treatment groups at 35 ± 3 dpp: (1) vaccination at 28 dpp and pen change at 21 dpp (V28PC21; n = 108), (2) vaccination and pen change at 28 dpp (V28PC28; n = 99), and (3) vaccination and pen change at 21 dpp (V21PC21; n = 101). An acidogenic diet was fed when cows changed pens at 28 or 21 dpp. Blood and colostral samples were collected within 1 h following parturition. The total number of clinical mastitis (CM) cases within the first 150 d in milk (DIM) were recorded. The V28PC21 cows had greater colostral IgG concentrations at calving (160.4 ± 7.0 g/L) compared with V21PC21 cows (134.4 ± 7.0 g/L), and V28PC28 cows were intermediate (148.3 ± 7.2 g/L). At calving, V28PC21 cows had lower serum IgG concentrations (29.1 ± 1.2 g/L) compared with V21PC21 cows (32.2 ± 1.2 g/L) or V28PC28 cows (32.6 ± 1.3 g/L). Overall, 41% of V21PC21 cows received the booster vaccinations with at least 21 d before actual calving compared with V28PC21 or V28PC28 cows (88 and 86% respectively). The shorter the interval from prepartum booster vaccination to calving, the lower the colostral IgG at calving, regardless of treatment groups. Vaccinating at 28 dpp and pen change with an acidogenic diet at 21 dpp tended to reduce the rate of CM within the first 150 DIM compared with V21PC21. These findings provide evidence that vaccinating cows at 28 dpp, followed by pen change with an acidogenic diet at 21 dpp, improved the concentrations of colostral IgG at calving and tended to reduce the rate of CM. The interaction of prepartum vaccination timing relative to feeding an acidogenic diet should be considered when implementing an effective vaccination program to enhance overall herd health.