Effective vaccine

Kata is a local name of Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) disease in Pakistan. Among prevalent infectious diseases of sheep and goats in Pakistan, PPR is known to cause heavy economic losses to the livestock industry with subsequent sever consternation to the poor farmers because of high morbidity (100%) and mortality (90%) rates in the infected goat herds. Considering the fatal nature and economic importance of the disease world organization of animal health (Office International des Epizooties) has categorized PPR as notifiable disease.
The disease is endemic in Pakistan and several outbreaks have been reported across the country at varying times of each year. Mass vaccination is the only useful mean to control the disease. Although an attenuated live virus vaccine had been produced in Pakistan but there is lack of information on the extent and duration of immunity of such vaccine in the inoculated indigenous breeds of goats. Mr Muhammad Anees, under the financial support of Higher Education Commission, Pakistan, investigated methods to improve the vaccine under supervision of Prof Dr Khushi Muhammad. He has optimised the immunogen level (virus concentration)/dose of the vaccine and checked different adjuvants to formulate an appropriate vaccine. Moreover, he improved the conditions for maximum production of PPR virus in animal cell culture. Ultimately he succeeded to develop a cost effective and quality vaccine for the control of KATA disease in sheep and goat.
Among various PPR vaccines, adjuvanted vaccines provoked better immune response in the goats as compared to the live virus vaccine. Oil based vaccine induced maximum antibody level in the goats that persisted for longest period of time. Thus, adjuvanted vaccines are recommended to immunize the animals of all age groups under adverse environmental conditions of Pakistan. Such vaccines can induce protective immunity for a period of one year so annual booster shot is recommended to reduce the risk of KATA among the animals. The research has opened a gateway for the production of multivalent vaccine against microbial diseases of sheep and goat. Currently two more students are working on bivalent vaccine (FMD “O” virus + Live PPR vaccine) and trivalent vaccine (BEI inactivated FMD virus, live attenuated PPR virus and mycoplasma mycoides (var: capri). These combinations are logical based. The outcome of these investigations hopefully may bring a revolution in vaccine development against goat and sheep diseases, in Pakistan.
MUHAMMAD ANEES
UVAS, LAHORE