Development and Evaluation of an Inactivated Lumpy Skin Disease Vaccine for Cattle.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) of cattle is caused by a virus within Capripoxvirus genus. It leads to huge economic losses in addition to trade and animal movement limitation. Vaccination is the only economically feasible way to control this vector-borne disease. Only live attenuated vaccines have been used so far and no inactivated vaccine has been developed nor tested in cattle. In this study, we developed an inactivated oily adjuvanted vaccine based on Neethling strain and tested it on cattle. Selected criteria of appreciation were safety, antibody response by Virus Neutralization and protection through challenge. A field trial was also performed in Bulgaria. The vaccine was safe and did not cause any adverse reaction, high level of specific antibodies was obtained starting from day 7 post-vaccination and protection against virulent challenge strain that caused typical disease in control animals was total. Induced protection was similar to that obtained with live vaccine, without any adverse effect. In addition, the field study confirmed safety and efficacy of the vaccine, which did not show any adverse reaction and induced a high level of antibodies for up to one year. General prophylaxis based on inactivated vaccine could be of great benefit in endemic countries or at risk regions.

Thermal Stability Study of Five Newcastle Disease Attenuated Vaccine Strains.

Newcastle disease (ND) is a big concern throughout the world because of the devastating losses that can occur with commercial and backyard poultry. The major problem in many countries is the loss of the vaccine's effectiveness due to inadequate use or storage conditions, particularly in hot climates. In the present study, stability of the five, most-used NDV vaccine strains (I-2, LaSota, B1, Clone 30 [C30], and VG-GA) was tested comparatively at different storage temperatures (4 and 37 C for the freeze-dried form and 4, 24, 37, and 45 C for the freeze-dried vaccine reconstituted in diluents). The vaccine stability was evaluated by the cumulative infectious titer drop and the theoretical shelf life at particular temperatures. Results showed that I-2 and LaSota are the most stable vaccine strains compared to B1, C30, and VG-GA; they registered the lowest titer drops and the longest shelf life whether at cool, high, or room temperatures and for both freeze-dried and reconstituted vaccines.

Comparative innocuity and efficacy of live and inactivated sheeppox vaccines.

BACKGROUND: Sheeppox (SPP) is one of the priorities, high-impact animal diseases in many developing countries, where live attenuated vaccines are routinely used against sheeppox virus (SPPV). In an event of an SPP outbreak, historically disease-free countries would hesitate to use of live vaccines against SPPVdue to the safety and trade reasons. Currently no killed SPPV vaccines are commercially available. In this study, we developed an inactivated Romanian SPPVvaccine and assessed its efficacy and potency in comparison with a live attenuated Romanian SPPV vaccine. Four naïve sheep were vaccinated once with the Romanian SPPV live attenuated vaccine and16 sheep were vaccinated twice with the inactivated vaccine. All sheep in the live vaccine group were included in the challenge trial, which was conducted using a highly virulent Moroccan SPPV field strain. Eight sheep of the inactivated vaccine group were challenged and the remaining sheep were monitored for seroconversion. Experimental animals were closely monitored for the appearance of clinical signs, body temperature and inflammation at the injection site. Two naïve sheep were used as unvaccinated controls. RESULTS: The inactivated Romanian SPPV vaccine was found to be safe and confer a good protection, similar to the live vaccine. Specific antibodies appeared from seven days post vaccination and remained up to nine months. CONCLUSION: This study showed that the developed inactivated Romanian SPPV vaccine has a potential to replace attenuated vaccine to control and prevent sheep pox in disease-free or endemic countries.

Knowledge of Human Papillomavirus and Acceptability to Vaccinate in Adolescents and Young Adults of the Moroccan Population.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is estimated to play an etiologic role in 99.7% of cervical cancer. Vaccines can prevent up to 70% of the cervical cancer caused by HPV 16 and 18. The present study was designed to define the knowledge of HPV and HPV vaccine acceptability among Moroccan youth. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, INTERVENTIONS, AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A nationwide anonymous questionnaire with a sample of 688 adolescents (12-17 years) and 356 young adults (18-30 years) was organized, that asked about HPV, origin of cervical cancer, Papanicolaou (Pap) test, and acceptability of HPV vaccine. Data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression methods. RESULTS: Overall, a low frequency (213/1044 = 20%) of HPV knowledge was observed among the studied population. A multivariate model analysis showed that age, educational level, and knowledge of the Pap test remained significantly associated factors with HPV knowledge. Additionally, only 27% (282/1044) of participants were willing to accept HPV vaccination. Highest acceptability was observed among young adults compared with adolescents (166/356 = 46.6% vs 116/688 = 16.9%). Sixty-two percent (103/165) of male participants accepted the HPV vaccine compared with only 20.4% (179/879) of female participants. Educational level, type of school, and knowledge of the Pap test were associated factors with HPV vaccine acceptability in a multivariate model analysis. CONCLUSION: The present study showed a low level of HPV knowledge and HPV vaccine acceptability among Moroccan youth. Promotion of activities and sensitization are required to maximize public awareness in the future. This objective can be achieved with the use of media, active efforts by health care providers, and introduction of sexual education in school programs.