Performance of a vaccine containing Anaplasma centrale and attenuated strains of Babesia bigemina e Babesia bovis against bovine babesioses and anaplasmosis.

Abstract

One hundred and thirty adult cattle imported from a tick-free region (Uruguay) were immunized in Brazil with a frozen trivalent vaccine containing Anaplasma centrale and attenuated Babesia bigemina and B. bovis. Thirty five days after the second dose of the vaccine, the animals ware challenged with virulent strains of the haemoparasites. At the day and 30 days after the challenge, it was taken serum samples from 28 animals, in order to evaluate the packed cell volume (PCV) and for serological tests. The results indicated that the animals resisted well the challenge with the virulent strains as showed by the absence of severe clinical symptoms during the observation period. The indirect ELISA test revealed serum antibodies against the three infeccious agents (B. bigemina - Overall Optical Density (OD) = 0.356, B. bovis = 0.320 and A. marginale - 0.295) in vaccineted animals, which raised significantly after challenging with virulent strains (B. bigemina - Overall OD = 0.664, B. bovis = 0.637and A. marginale = 0.549).