Preparation and Field Evaluation of Mycoplasma bovisMembrane Vaccine in Egypt

Aim To prepare M. bovis membrane vaccine and its evaluation in laboratory experiment and field study. Material and Methods In this study, a laboratory experiment was carried out to evaluate the safety and potency of the prepared M. bovis vaccine. A field study was applied on three bovine dairy farms at Fayoum and Behera Governorates for 6 months. Detection of M. bovis antibodies was measured using indirect ELISA. Results The laboratory experiment cleared that vaccinated & challenged group of rabbits with virulent field strain showed high immune response and the vaccine was able to protect rabbits against M. bovis infection. In the field study, a high immune response was detected in all vaccinated animals. Culture and PCR were negative in all vaccinated animals indicating that the vaccine provides a good protection against Mycoplasma bovis infection, while the contact animals gave positive results for isolation and PCR. Conclusion M. bovis membrane vaccine was prepared from local field isolate. In the laboratory experiment vaccinated rabbits were protected against challenge with M. bovis virulent field strain. In the field study, the vaccinated cows produced high immune response with negative culture and PCR, indicating that the prepared vaccine was able to protect the animals against M. bovis infection.