What vaccines are available?
In California we currently have two vaccine options. The first is a live vaccine available from Poultry Health Laboratories and is called Anavac®. It is safe and effective when given to young cattle (4 to 11 months of age). The cattle become infected with the vaccine strain of Anaplasma and are “immune carriers”. This method of preventing disease is basically a controlled infection. If this vaccine (Anavac®) is given to older cattle, they will become sick and could die, just as with the natural disease. Vaccination of mature bulls with Anavac® can cause death loss or infertility. Recently, an investigational vaccine has become available for use in California. This investigational vaccine is a killed vaccine and when the cattle are vaccinated, they develop enough immunity to prevent illness when they become infected. This vaccine does not prevent against infection by the anaplasma organism. When the vaccinated cattle are infected by the Anaplasma marginale organism under field condition
There are two tick fever vaccines: chilled trivalent and frozen trivalent. The choice of vaccine depends on the circumstance. • Chilled trivalent (three-germ) vaccine – the most popular and helps control all three types of tick fever. It has a four-day shelf life. • Frozen trivalent vaccine (marketed as Combavac 3-in-1) – has the same benefits as the chilled product. It has a five-year storage life in liquid nitrogen, but must be used within eight hours after it is thawed and reconstituted. It is popular on large properties in remote areas where the short shelf life of chilled vaccine makes timely delivery difficult.
