Immune response to quadrivalent double oil emulsion and aluminium hydroxide based foot and mouth disease vaccines in new born calves with circulating maternal antibodies

Vaccination of young animals against Foot Mouth Disease (FMD) needs special consideration since maternal antibodies interfere with development of immunity following vaccination. Present study reports the comparative efficacy of aluminium hydroxide gel and double oil emulsion adjuvanted FMD vaccine in young calves under Indian husbandry conditions. New borne calves were vaccinated with either gel or oil adjuvanted vaccine and immune response monitored for 60 days by serum neutralizing antibody titres. Oil ajduvanted vaccine showed significantly enhanced serum neutralizing antibody titres compared to gel adjuvanted vaccine. Significant interaction was observed between the factors like, adjuvant type, FMDV serotype and time (days post vaccination) in eliciting the neutralizing antibody. The results indicate that the calves born to dams vaccinated regularly, despite having high maternally derived antibodies (MDA) could be immunised with double oil (ISA 206) emulsion vaccines at 2 to 3 weeks of age under field conditions. Protective antibody titres could be attained as early as 15 days post vaccination and protective levels continued till the end of the study which would confer protection against FMD in early calf-hood period.