Immunization against anaplasmosis and babesiosis. Part II. Evaluation of cryo-preserved vaccines using different doses and routes of inoculation.

Anaplasma marginale, Babesia argentina and Babesia bigemina infected blood used as vaccines for immunization trials in Valle del Cauca, were preserved with 4 Molar Dimethyl-Sulfoxide (4M DMSO) and stored in liquid nitrogen (-196 degrees C). The effectivity of the vaccines was determined in 87 healthy calves utilizing serial 10-fold dilutions. The effects of dose, inoculation routes, time and temperature were determined. The minimum infective dose for A. marginale was 10(-3) (2 x 10(6)) when 2 ml of vaccine were given intravenously (i.v.). The same dose when given subcutaneously (s.c.) was not infective. The 10(-2) dilution (2 x 10(7)) was infective when given through both routes, however, the incubation periods were statistically different. The average incubation period using 2 ml s.c. was 30 days, but when the dose was increased to 5 ml and given s.c. the average incubation period decreased to 22 days. The minimum infective doses for b. bigemina and B. argentina were 10(-1) dilutions (4 x 10(-7)) and 10(-2) (4 x 16(6)) respectively, when 2 ml of vaccines were injected i.v.. Infectivity was also recorded when Babesia spp. vaccines were injected s.c. at dosages of 5 ml of dilution 10(-1) (1 x 10(-8)).