Response of sheep and cattle to combined polyvalent Pasteurella haemolytica vaccines.

The antibody response to various combined polyvalent Pasteurella haemolytica vaccines was studied in sheep and cattle. In sheep, certain oil adjuvant vaccines gave rise to a better antibody response to P. haemolytica than an A1(OH)3-adsorbed vaccine. This finding, however, was not consistent for all serotypes, and with respect to P. multocida, oil adjuvants had no advantage. Furthermore, it was found that the removal of all the culture supernatant fluid during the production process had no deleterious effect on the antigenicity of the product. In cattle, good responses were obtained with both alum-precipitated and A1(OH)3-adsorbed vaccine where all culture supernatant fluid was not removed during the production process. No advantage was gained with oil emulsion vaccines. The degree of immunity afforded to mice and the antibody response to different serotypes of P. haemolytica varied considerably. Further detailed studies with respect to specific serotypes of P. haemolytica are therefore required.