Lecture 3: Vaccines

What type of vaccine is the best?

Getting the disease/live vaccine

Dangers with a live vaccine

\-Can kill the animal

\-Can produce carriers

\-Danger to humans (zoonosis)

Definition of live vaccine

System is exposed to an unmodified version of the disease, full and active immune response

Define modified-live vaccine

Attenuated version of the antigen produces a lesser active immune response. Shouldn’t cause the disease, but some symptoms can appear.

Benefits of modified-live vaccine

\-Long lasting, T-cell mediated immunity

\-Fast

Dangers of a modified-live vaccine

\-Can replicate and shed to other horses

\-Increased side effects as compared to other vaccines

\-Should not be given to immunosuppressed horses

Define killed/inactivated vaccine

The whole, dead infectious organism is introduced to the body

Benefits of a killed vaccine

\-Safe

\-Few side effects

Dangers of a killed vaccine

\-B-cell (humoral) immunity only

\-Lower effectiveness

\-Short term protection

Benchmarks of a successful vaccine

\-Disease prevention

\-Decreases shedding

\-Shortens course and severity of disease

AVMA definition of core vaccines

Vaccines that protect form diseases that are endemic to a region, those with potential public health significance, required by law, virulent/highly infectious, and/or those posing a risk of severe disease.

Common core equine vaccines

Tetanus, E/W Equine Encephalomyelitis, West Nile Virus, Rabies

Common risk based vaccines

Influenza, Rhinopneumonitis, Potomac Horse Fever, Equine Viral Arteritis, Botulism