Anaplasma marginale inactivated vaccine: dose titration against a homologous challenge

The present study was performed to dose-titrate an Anaplasma marginale experimental immunogen derived from partially purified initial bodies from three geographically different Mexican strains. Three five-bovine groups were inoculated twice on days zero and 21 with A. marginale initial bodies equivalent to 1.5 x 10(10) (group I), 3 x 10(10) (group II) or 6 x 10(10) (group III) infected erythrocytes mixed with STDCM adjuvant. A similar group served as non-vaccinated controls. All four groups were challenged with 1 x 10(8) infected erythrocytes from a donor cow with an increasing rickettsemia of strain MEX-15 on day 87 post-vaccination. The prepatent period was very similar for all four groups. All five non-vaccinated controls presented typical acute anaplasmosis syndrome reaching a mean of 30.9% rickettsemia and a loss of 73.4% in the packed cell volume (PCV). Two of five controls died of acute anaplasmosis. Within the vaccinated groups only one animal (group II) suffered acute disease and died. Although all the other vaccinated animals were free of clinical signs, they developed very low rickettsemias (3.2, 3.8 and 4.3%) and PCV losses of 49.9, 47.8, and 49.3% for groups I, II and III. The starting mean weight was very similar for all four groups. All animals lost weight following challenge but losses for groups I and II were lower and significantly different from group IV losses (P < or = 0.1). Although there were no significant differences among vaccinated groups, group III was more severely affected. Taken altogether, these results show a 93.3% protection against both illness and death for all groups; and 100% protection for groups I and III, and 80% for group II.