Active and passive immunity to bovine viral respiratory diseases in beef calves after shipment

Fifteen steers were vaccinated after shipment with a modified live virus vaccine containing infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), bovine virus diarrhea (BVD), and bovine myxovirus parainfluenza-3 (PI3), and 16 unvaccinated steers were kept as controls. Geometric mean titers one month after vaccination were highest to BVD, followed by PI3 and IBR. Weight gains were higher during 30 days after vaccination in the controls. One case of acute respiratory disease developed in one vaccinated calf. Revaccination 79 days after the first dose increased antibody to PI3 and BVD virus but not IBR. In a second trial, no clinical respiratory disease developed after shipment of 13 heifers that received an antibacterial-antiviral antiserum or in the 12 controls. Weight gains 30 days after shipment were identical in both groups.