Bovine adenoviruses. A review of vaccination experiments.

The adenoviruses are one of the virus groups involved in the respiratory disease complex in young cattle and are one of the causes of great economic losses. A statement of the identified bovine adenoviruses and their pathogenicity in cattle is given. The number of eight bovine serotypes is expected to increase as research continues and unidentified strains are compared with recognized types. The vaccination trials which have been done until now with bovine adenovirus vaccines have been limited to the examination of the internal humoral response. The ability to resist challenge with homologous or heterologous virus has never been investigated. The cell-mediated immunity has not been studied at all and the secretory local immunity to a very limited degree. Inactivated bovine adenovirus vaccines have been shown to stimulate the antibody production in young calves. On the whole, oil adjuvant vaccines are most effective both in respect of initial antibody response and in duration of demonstrable antibodies. The disadvantages of live bovine adenovirus vaccines are discussed.