title: Efficacy of three inactivated vaccines against bluetongue virus serotype 8 in sheep.
abstract: Bluetongue has become a major animal health issue in the European Union. The member states and Switzerland have agreed on a vaccination strategy. Three different inactivated monovalent vaccines against bluetongue virus serotype 8 were selected for the compulsory vaccination program carried out in Germany in 2008. The efficacy of these vaccines was evaluated in a pilot study in sheep immunised under field conditions by clinical, virological and serological examination before and after experimental challenge infection with a BTV-8 field isolate. Antibody levels prior to challenge infection differed between the vaccinated groups, but all seroconverted animals were fully protected against clinical disease and virus replication. Only one vaccinated animal was very weakly positive in the real-time RT-PCR at day 10 after challenge infection, and one seronegative sheep in one of the vaccine groups was not protected.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eschbaumer
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: König
authors.forename: Jens P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Teifke
authors.forename: Jörn M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gethmann
authors.forename: Franz J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Conraths
authors.forename: Carolina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Probst
authors.forename: Thomas C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Mettenleiter
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001819:Bluetongue / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001820:Bluetongue virus / Q000276:immunology*; D001831:Body Temperature; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D012756:Sheep; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated / Q000276:immunology; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated; D014765:Viral Vaccines