POTENCY ASSESSMENT OF FOOT-AND-MOUTH-DISEASE VACCINES IN CATTLE BY MEANS OF ANTIBODY-ASSAYS

A tendency has emerged for some years to replace the challenge infection of cattle for the assessment of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine potency. This can be actually evaluated by means of antibody assays on cattle sera, at about 3 4 weeks after the vaccination. Serological results can be worked out as single titres (to be compared with a pre-determined threshold level) or as mean antibody titres induced by different vaccine dilutions. However, the assessment of FMDV-specific antibody titres would not fully depict the extent and the efficacy of the immune response of cattle; moreover, the antibody response would not be proportional if potent vaccines are used (≥ 10-12 PD50). Thus, a particular approach is suggested for the serological procedures, which enable credible estimates of potent FMD vaccines to be formulated. © 1991.