The Serological Response in Cattle following Administration of a Heterologous Sheep Pox Virus Strain Vaccine for Protection from Lumpy Skin Disease; Current Situation in Armenia

Abstract

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a highly infectious viral disease of cattle caused by LSD virus (LSDV), which was first reported in Armenia in late 2015. It was identified in pasture-raised cattle near the border with Iran. Currently, vaccination plays a key role in preventing further incursion of disease in high-risk areas. The purpose of this work was to assess the quality of vaccination currently used in Armenia by determining the immune response of the heterologous dry culture sheep pox virus-based vaccine against LSD in cattle. Seroprevalence and seroconversion testing was carried out using an ELISA to detect specific antibodies against LSD before and 30 days after vaccination in three adjacent regions of Armenia (Ararat, Armavir, Gegharkunik). Ixodes ticks were also examined for the presence of LSDV via real-time PCR. We found that the heterologous vaccine used in Armenia creates a high level of population immunity of 86.09% (83.83–87.97%) and no adverse side effects were observed in cattle. Of the 6 types of Ixodes ticks identified and tested, we found no evidence of LSDV circulating in these vectors. These results suggest that regular serological monitoring via ELISA and heterologous vaccination should continue in areas of Armenia at high risk for incursion of LSD to reduce the spread of this highly infectious transboundary disease.

Duration of Immunity in Cattle to Lumpy Skin Disease Utilizing a Sheep Pox Vaccine

“…Throughout the entire study period, all the cattle remained healthy in appearance with no obvious side effects in presentation or at the vaccine injection site. This is in concurrence with our previous study, which followed the same vaccination parameters and found there was no increase in body temperature or deviation from the physiological norm [32].…”

“…Veterinary authorities are presented with significant challenges when selecting effective vaccines due to the variability of testing, quality, efficacy, and affordability to farmers [22,34]. Since 2016, the Republic of Armenia has administered a heterologous sheep pox vaccine to protect cattle from LSDV [31,32,35], but the duration of immunity following vaccination with the heterologous vaccine was unknown.…”

“…The Sheep Pox Cultural Dry™ heterologous vaccine produced by ARRIAH was administered as previously described [32]. Observations of the cattle on the day of vaccination and throughout the sampling procedures were recorded to monitor for any signs of LSD or other infectious diseases.…”

“…To assess the outbreak and prevent the disease from spreading, Armenia implemented a vaccination campaign, utilizing a heterologous sheep pox vaccine in cattle for protection against LSDV. High-risk areas were identified and susceptible cattle were vaccinated once yearly using the 10X Sheep Pox Cultural Dry™ vaccine (Federal Centre for Animal Health (ARRIAH)),and no noted adverse effects and development of a strong antibody response 30 days postvaccination were reported [31,32].…”

Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD): Etiology, Pathogenesis, Prevention and Control

“…Meanwhile, Goran goat pox is able to protect cows from LSD. However, these results are different from a study conducted by Hakobyan et al (2023) that the heterologous vaccine (sheep poxvirus) used in Armenia provided immunity to the cattle population of 86.09% and did not cause any side effects in the cattle. Some of the factors identified as causing vaccine failure are differences between vaccine strains and virus strains that infect animals in the field, low vaccine titers, vaccination of animals that are temporarily experiencing an incubation period of disease, and errors in vaccine handling and storage (Datten et al, 2023).…”