All you need to know about new EBA vaccine

FAST FACTS ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NEW FOOTHILL ABORTION VACCINE

by Jenna Chandler EBA Product Manager, Hygieia Biological Laboratories

No doubt the decades of waiting and the tortuous path to get there made many ranchers do a double take earlier this fall, when Hygieia Biological Laboratories announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture had granted the Woodland company a conditional license for its Epizootic Bovine Abortion (EBA) Agent product. Through the tenacity of University of California, Davis and University of Nevada, Reno researchers, and cattle producers across the West, the foothill abortion vaccine was finally a reality, and now the EBA vaccine for foothill abortion is commercially available.

Its differences in handling, administration and application in herd health all make it a unique vaccine, with some degree of getting used to. Understandably, questions by the dozens are coming in about the new product.

But of course, the number one question producers are asking is, “Is this right for my operation?”

COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Who should use the Hygieia foothill vaccine?

Producers who pasture heifers and cows in California, Nevada, Oregon or anywhere the pajaroello tick can be found should consider the EBA vaccine for their operation.

Who can be vaccinated?

Any open heifer or cow who is six months of age or older and weaned may be vaccinated.

Can older or nursing cows be vaccinated?

Yes. While many producers vaccinate their replacement heifers, older cows may be vaccinated, though accounting for the needed 60 day window between vaccination and breeding may be more difficult to accomplish when cows have young calves. There is no known risk to the suckling calf when the dam is vaccinated.

Can pregnant animals be vaccinated?

NO. Only open (not pregnant) animals should be vaccinated. If a naive (i.e. not previously exposed to the P. abortibovis bacteria) cow or heifer is vaccinated, she will likely abort her calf in 3-5 months. Any naive cow or heifer that becomes pregnant in less than 60 days after vaccination may also lose her calf to the disease.

The Hygieia EBA Vaccine contains live bacteria. If a naive, pregnant animal is vaccinated at five months gestation or less, she is likely to lose the calf in approximately four months, as she would if infected with the bacteria by a tick. If vaccinated between five and seven months gestation, abortion or a weak calf could occur. It is unclear at this time whether vaccination at over seven months of gestation is safe, and it is not advised.

How soon after vaccination can animals be bred?

Breeding should not be initiated until at least 60 days after vaccination or abortion could occur.

Does the EBA vaccine have to be given by a vet?

Yes. The vaccine will be shipped to, and must be administered under the supervision of, a licensed veterinarian.

How does the EBA vaccine work?

Cattle producers in the West have long known that naive, first calf heifers run in “hot” foothill country are the most likely to be affected by late term foothill abortions. Heifers who have grown up in regions where foothill is common and have been exposed longer to the carrier ticks, are less likely to lose their calf due to EBA. As cows age and are continuously run in such country (even those originally naive heifers), they are bitten by infected pajaroello ticks, and become infected. Timing is everything. If open and more than 60 days prior to being bred when exposed, after clearing the infection, these animals are no longer naïve, and the risk of abortion decreases.

This vaccine takes some of the guesswork out nature. The Hygieia EBA vaccine contains live Pajaroellobacter abortibovis bacteria, the bacteria that causes Foothill Abortion. In the same way early exposure via infected tick bite works, by introducing this bacteria via vaccination at a time when there is no risk of abortion, the animal’s body can mount a protective immune response so that the next time the bacteria is encountered via tick bite, instead of causing an abortion, the animal’s immune system defends the pregnancy. By allowing 60 days following vaccination before breeding, the animal’s system has enough time to clear the bacteria, preventing any negative impact to the fetus. Current research shows that protection from a single dose administered correctly likely lasts about 3 years. If your cattle are running in areas where pajaroello ticks are found, they will likely receive a natural booster through bites from infected ticks.

At this time, there are no booster recommendations for the vaccine.

How effective is the EBA vaccine?

Challenge studies and field trials conducted by the University of California, Davis, suggest that the vaccine is over 98 percent effective when handled and administered properly.

What is the cost of the EBA vaccine and how do I order it?

The vaccine is currently available in 30 dose vials at a cost of $800 per vial, working out to about $26 per dose. Producers can order the vaccine directly from Hygieia Labs. When placing an order you will be asked who your veterinarian is. The vaccine will then be delivered to your vet to be stored under liquid nitrogen, and a date to administer the vaccine to your herd can be made with your veterinarian.

How quickly can I get the vaccine?

The vaccine must be stored and transported on liquid nitrogen. Because of this, it must be delivered via courier which can take some time. Hygieia is currently asking for 30-60 days lead time from order to delivery to your veterinarian. There is currently no waitlist and no disruptions in supply are expected.

The Hygieia EBA vaccine is clearly different than your average vaccine, but the good news is that utilizing this groundbreaking product won’t change your herd health protocols all that much.

The foothill vaccine can be given at the same time as other commonly administered vaccines, as long as it is given on the other side of the neck. Many producers choose to administer foothill to their replacement heifers at the same time as the bangs (brucellosis) vaccine, when the vet is already out at the ranch. Just a bit more coordination with your vet and a tad more awareness of when that 60 days before breeding occurs, and you are one injection away from having a foothill vaccinated herd.

If those cattlemen of days before could see it now. It’s a reality. It’s here. And it's available for herds just like yours.

For more information about the foothill abortion vaccine, contact Jenna Chandler, EBA Product Manager, Hygieia Biological Laboratories at (916) 769-2442 or jenna@hygieialabs.com. November 2020 California Cattleman 13