Effectiveness of two intranasal vaccines for the control of bovine respiratory disease in newborn beef calves: A randomized non-inferiority multicentre field trial

Highlights

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  Multicentre field trials with natural pathogen exposure complement challenge trials.

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  Beef calves housed with their dams were assessed for bovine respiratory disease (BRD)

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  Two commercial intranasal live vaccines for BRSV-bPI3 V were evaluated

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  New vaccine A demonstrated non-inferiority compared to benchmarked vaccine B.

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  Difference in BRD prevalence between vaccines A and B was -0.4% (95% CI -1.6 to 0.8%).

Abstract

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) and bovine parainfluenza-3 virus (bPI3 V) are major causes of bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in newborn calves worldwide. Vaccination is widely used to prevent BRD, and intranasal vaccines for BRSV and bPI3 V were developed to overcome interference from BRSV and bPI3V-specific maternally derived antibodies. Many experimental challenge trials have demonstrated that intranasal vaccines for BRSV and bPI3 V are efficacious, but effectiveness under field conditions has been demonstrated less often, especially for newborn beef calves. The objective of this field trial was to compare the effectiveness of a newly available commercial BRSV-bPI3 V intranasal vaccine with that of a benchmarked one in newborn beef calves reared in a cow-calf system. A total of 935 calves from 39 farms were randomized into two vaccine groups (Bovalto Respi Intranasal [Vaccine A], n = 468; Rispoval RS + PI3 Intranasal [VaccineB], n = 467), and monitored during the in-house risk period up to three months after vaccination. Non-inferiority analysis was performed by calculating the difference in BRD prevalence between the two vaccine groups.

No significant differences were observed between vaccines regarding clinical outcomes of morbidity, mortality, duration between vaccination and BRD occurrence, or treatments required. Because the upper limit of the 2-sided 95% confidence interval of the difference in BRD prevalence between the two treatment groups (0.8%) was less than the margin of non-inferiority (δ =5%), a non-inferiority of Vaccine A was concluded. In conclusion, Vaccine A is at least as effective as Vaccine B for the prevention of BRD in newborn beef cattle in a cow-calf system under field conditions.