Comparative safety study of three inactivated BTV-8 vaccines in sheep and cattle under field conditions

After massive epidemics of bluetongue disease in 2006 and 2007, Germany has started a compulsory vaccination program against bluetongue virus serotype 8 (BTV-8). Since the available vaccines had not yet been registered and only limited data were available on their performance, a safety study was conducted with three different inactivated monovalent vaccines under consideration for use in Germany. A total of 1007 sheep and 893 cattle were vaccinated and subsequently compared with 638 control animals (324 sheep and 314 cattle). During the study, all animals remained in good health condition. After the initial immunisation, only local swellings were observed in a small number of animals. Following revaccination, several sheep developed more distinct local reactions and a temporary rise in body temperature. Severe systemic reactions were not detected in any of the study groups. Among cattle, neither fever, nor a decrease in milk production and only temporary low-grade local reactions were observed. Overall, our results demonstrate a high level of safety of all vaccines tested.