Effectiveness of vaccination in controlling ovine footrot

Efficacy of reducing footrot by use of a commercial vaccine was evaluated over 2 yr with 223 ewes from five crossbred genotypes. Ewes were assigned randomly within genotype, age and initial footrot status to a 2 x 3 factorial array of vaccination in the 1st yr and fall vaccination, winter vaccination or control in the 2nd yr. The flock contained a single Bacteroides nodosus serotype (XV) known to be highly cross-reactive with one of the vaccine serotypes (British serotype H). Vaccination reduced footrot incidence by 61% (P less than .01) in the 1st yr and by 45% (P less than .01) in the 2nd yr. Vaccination of previously uninfected ewes did not significantly reduce the rate of new infection, but vaccination of infected ewes reduced re-infection by 92% (P less than .01). Vaccination in the 1st yr failed to produce any carryover or additive protection in the 2nd yr. Genotypes differed in both footrot incidence (P less than .05) and footrot reduction following vaccination (P less than .05), but the effect was inconsistent between years. Vaccination increased serum antibody titers in both years (P less than .01). Among vaccinates in the 1st yr, infected ewes had lower titer levels than uninfected ewes (P less than .01), but no correlation between titer level and incidence was observed in the 2nd yr.