Abstract
SUMMARY: Two outbreaks of Leptospira borgpetersenii serovar Hardjo infection in dairy cattle herds were managed through the application of enhanced biosecurity measures, whole-herd antibiotic treatment and vaccination. Micro-agglutination test antibody titres were determined in paired serum samples at 3 weeks (T1: n = 125, 97% seropositivity, median 800, range 100-12 800) and 24 weeks (T2: n = 110, 88% seropositivity, median 200, range 100-6400) after vaccination and studied in relation to cows' age, herd of origin and sampling time. From T1 to T2, vaccine-elicited antibody titres decreased by 84·7% (95% CI 76·2-90·1). Consistent with increasing immunocompetence in calves (aged <12 months) and immunosenescence in adult cows (aged >36 months) associated with ageing, antibody titres correlated positively with calves' age and negatively with adult cows' age. No cow had cultivable, (histo)pathologically detectable and/or PCR-detectable leptospires in urine or kidney samples after treatment and vaccination. Vaccination together with proper biosecurity measures and chemoprophylaxis are an affordable insurance to control bovine leptospirosis.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1172-81 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Epidemiology and Infection |
| Volume | 142 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2014 |
Keywords
- Abortion, Veterinary/epidemiology
- Animals
- Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use
- Bacterial Vaccines/immunology
- Cattle
- Cattle Diseases/drug therapy
- Dairying
- Disease Outbreaks/prevention & control
- Italy/epidemiology
- Kidney/microbiology
- Leptospira/isolation & purification
- Leptospirosis/drug therapy
- Seroepidemiologic Studies
- Urine/microbiology
- Vaccination
