Lecture 7 - Vaccination II

What are the key things to remember with vaccines?

-Best vaccination is achieved by natural infection

-Require an immune competent host to be effective

-Goal is to prevent clinical signs

-Protection occurs within 2 weeks

What information does the vaccine label provide? Why should you always read a label before giving a vaccine?

-Provides overview of vaccine safety and efficacy

-Claims for two similar vaccines/products may be different

-Claim language may be nuanced (ex. never, should, could, etc)

-Protects from liability

-Important considerations for off-label use

-Recommended or approved use may change

What are the common sources of vaccine failures?

-Noncompliance (off-label use)

-Poor storage

-Expired

-Mixing live and inactivated vaccines

-Presence of maternal antibodies

-Wrong time for vaccination

-Immunosuppression of host

-Host genetics

What are the unintended consequences of a vaccination?

-Virus variants

-Vaccine selection for viruses with unique pathogenic properties

-Change in viral ecology

-Reversion to virulence

What is the thought process behind vaccinating pregnant females?

-Passive transfer of immunity

-Prevents enteric infection

-Works best for infections that affect neonates

What is an important consideration with animal size variation?

Smaller animals will have higher efficacy but also higher frequency of adverse reactions