TITERS--Shedding Some Light On

[Kris L. Christine]

PERMISSION GRANTED TO CROSS-POST THIS MESSAGE.

 

To shed some light on titer testing, the following is from Page 19 the American Animal Hospital Association's 2003 Canine Vaccine Guidelines under the heading "Serological Tests to Monitor Immunity: it states that "Although the committee does not feel it is necessary to determine titers to these core viruses on an annual basis because of the long minimum DOI [duration of immunity] for these products, titers can be used for your and/or your client's assurance that the animal has immunity. Experience with postvaccination titers for CDV [distemper], CAV [hepatitis], and CPV [parvo] shows that sterile immunity lasts for years...........The primary reason for the test is to ensure that you have a positive test after completing the puppy vaccination series."

 

From Page 16 of the 2003 AAHA Guidelines it reports that, "The MLV [modified live virus (such as distemper, hepatitis, parvo)] vaccines create an immunity that is similar to immunity after an animal recovers from infection." Further, on Page 17, " When MLV [modified live virus (such as distemper, hepatitis, parvo)] vaccines are used to immunize a dog, memory cells develop and likely persist for the life of the animal."

 

Dr. Alice Wolf, Professor of Small Animal Internal Medicine at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine, stated in an address (Vaccines of the Present and Future http://www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB/Proceedings/PR05000/PR00141.htm) at the 2001 World Small Animal Veterinary Association World Congress that: "MLV vaccines generally produce longer duration, more solid immunity. Both humoral and cell-mediated immune systems participate strongly in the response. A single vaccination may provide significant immunologic memory (as long as there is no maternal AB interference). MLV vaccines do not, or only infrequently, require revaccination ..."..

 

This is what Dr. Ronald Schultz had to say in his 2007 presentation to the AKC Canine Health Foundation entitled, What Everyone Needs to Know About Canine Vaccines and Vaccination Programs:

 

"An antibody titer no matter how low shows the animal has immunologic memory since memory effector B cells must be present to produce that antibody. Some dogs without antibody are protected from disease because they have T cell memory, that will provide cell mediated immunity (CMI). CMI will not protect from reinfection, but it will prevent disease."

 

"My own dogs, those of my children and grandchildren are vaccinated with MLV CDV, CPV-2, CPI, andCAV-2 vaccines once as puppies after the age of 12 weeks. An antibody titer is performedtwo or more weeks later and if found positive our dogs are never again vaccinated. " " he further elaborates: "I have used this vaccination program with modifications (CAV-2 replaced CAV-1 vaccines in 1970's and CPV-2 vaccines were first used in 1980) since 1974! I have never had one of our dogs develop CDV, CAV-1 or CPV-2 even though they have had exposure to many dogs, wildlife and to virulent CPV-2 virus. You may say that I have been lucky, but it is not luck that protects my dogs, it is immunologic memory."

 

The vaccines in the quote above are CDV (distemper), CPV-2 (parvovirus), CPI (canine parainfluenza), and CAV-2 (hepatitis), and Dr. Ronald Schultz is the Chair of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. His challenge and serological studies on canine vaccines form a large part of the scientific data base upon which the 2003 and 2006 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines are based, as well as the 2007 World Small Animal Veterinary Association's Vaccine Guidelines.

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Combination Vaccines, Multiple Shots--on Page 16 of the[i 2003 AAHA Guidelines[/i] under Immunological Factors Determining Vaccine Safety, it states that: "Although increasing the number of components in a vaccine may be more convenient for the practitioner or owner, the likelihood for adverse effects may increase. Also, interference can occur among the components. Care must be taken not to administer a product containing too many vaccines simultaneously if adverse events are to be avoided and optimal immune responses are sought. "

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Duration of Immunity: The Rabies Vaccine Challenge - Show #185 Animal Talk Radio Show 7/30/08 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/animaltalknat...llenge-Show-186

 

Duration of Immunity to Canine Vaccines: What We Know and Don't Know, Dr. Ronald Schultz http://www.cedarbayvet.com/duration_of_immunity.htm

 

What Everyone Needs to Know about Canine Vaccines, Dr. Ronald Schultz

http://www.puliclub.org/CHF/AKC2007Conf/Wh...%20Vaccines.htm

 

Vaccination: An Overview Dr. Melissa Kennedy, DVM360 http://veterinarycalendar.dvm360.com/avhc/...l.jsp?id=568351

 

World Small Animal Veterinary Association 2007 Vaccine Guidelines http://www.wsava.org/SAC.htm Scroll down to Vaccine Guidelines 2007 (PDF)

 

The 2003 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines are accessible online at http://www.leerburg.com/special_report.htm .

 

The 2006 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines are downloadable in PDF format at http://www.aahanet.org/PublicDocumen...s06Revised.pdf .

 

Veterinarian, Dr. Robert Rogers,has an excellent presentation on veterinary vaccines at http://www.newvaccinationprotocols.com/

 

October 1, 2002 DVM Newsletter article entitled, AVMA, AAHA to Release Vaccine Positions, http://www.dvmnewsmagazine.com/dvm/article...il.jsp?id=35171

 

July 1, 2003 DVM Newsletter article entitled, What Do We Tell Our Clients?, Developing thorough plan to educate staff on changing vaccine protocols essential for maintaining solid relationships with clients and ensuring quality care http://www.dvmnewsmagazine.com/dvm/article...il.jsp?id=61696

 

July 1, 2003, DVM Newsletter article, Developing Common Sense Strategies for Fiscal Responsibility: Using an interactive template to plan service protocol changes http://www.dvmnewsmagazine.com/dvm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=61694

 

Animal Wellness Magazine Article Vol. 8 Issue 6, How Often Does he REALLY Need A Rabies Shot Animal Wellness Magazine - devoted to natural health in animals

 

The Rabies Challenge Animal Wise Radio Interview

Listen to Animal Wise (scroll down to The Rabies Challenge 12/9/07)

 

The Vaccine Challenge Animal Talk Naturally Online Radio Show » The Vaccine Challenge - Show #91

 

Rabies Shot Killed my Poodle May 28, 2008 Channel 5 News WCVB http://www.thebostonchannel.com:80/news/16...bos&taf=bos

 

US Declared Canine-Rabies Free -- CDC Announces at Inaugural World Rabies Day Symposium CDC Press Release - September 7, 2007

 

Rabies Prevention -- United States, 1991 Recommendations of the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee (ACIP), Center for Disease Control's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly March 22, 1991 / 40(RR03);1-19 http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00041987.htm "A fully vaccinated dog or cat is unlikely to become infected with rabies, although rare cases have been reported (48). In a nationwide study of rabies among dogs and cats in 1988, only one dog and two cats that were vaccinated contracted rabies (49). All three of these animals had received only single doses of vaccine; no documented vaccine failures occurred among dogs or cats that had received two vaccinations. "

[Kris L. Christine]

Dr. Ronald Schultz--Comments on TITERS

 

This is what Dr. Ronald Schultz had to say in his 2007 presentation to the AKC Canine Health Foundation entitled,What Everyone Needs to Know About Canine Vaccines and Vaccination Programs http://www.puliclub.org/CHF/AKC2007Conf/Wh...20Vaccines.htm:

 

"An antibody titer no matter how low shows the animal has immunologic memory since memory effector B cells must be present to produce that antibody. Some dogs without antibody are protected from disease because they have T cell memory, that will provide cell mediated immunity (CMI). CMI will not protect from reinfection, but it will prevent disease."

 

"My own dogs, those of my children and grandchildren are vaccinated with MLV CDV, CPV-2, CPI, andCAV-2 vaccines once as puppies after the age of 12 weeks. An antibody titer is performedtwo or more weeks later and if found positive our dogs are never again vaccinated. "

 

The vaccines in the quote above are CDV (distemper), CPV-2 (parvovirus), CPI (canine parainfluenza), and CAV-2 (hepatitis), and Dr. Ronald Schultz is the Chair of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. His challenge and serological studies on canine vaccines form a large part of the scientific data base upon which the 2003 and 2006 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines are based, as well as the 2007 World Small Animal Veterinary Association's Vaccine Guidelines.

 

Duration of Immunity to Canine Vaccines: What We Know and Don't Know, Dr. Ronald Schultz http://www.cedarbayvet.com/duration_of_imm...ity.htm

[kaos]

Kris

 

Do you realize that while you are providing interesting info, most people are probably not reading it or debating because you post and run? Perhaps if you took the time to engage to board on these issues, personally, people would be willing to engage with your information.

 

Sara

[kelpiegirl]

Thanks- my sentiments exactly.

[Kris L. Christine]

Thank you, I appreciate your directness.

 

Actually, I do intend to "chat" at some point, but have been so overwhelmed by the huge demands on my time with helping the efforts in Kansas and Wyoming on rabies laws, plus homeschooling 2 teenaged children and caring for an 89 year old dad with Alzheimer's who also has PTSD from WWII combat, that I haven't had time to sit and browse.

 

Sorry, it must seem terribly rude, I know that dog lovers are wonderful and would do anything to help each other out. I do try to make time to get information posted that someone might need if they are trying to decide on a vaccination schedule for their dogs (which, hopefully they are doing with input from their veterinary care provider).

 

Working with the world's 2 leading vaccine research scientists, I have access to data that most dog owners do not, and I want to be able to make it available to those of you who may want or need it. I hope to have more time in the near future to be more personable -- it never occurred to me that the Wichita Eagle story would trigger a rabies vaccine revolt in the mid-west, this has taken me quite by surprise and upended my normal activities and schedule.

 

Thank you again for sharing your feelings, I certainly don't intend to offend anyone.

 

Kris

[Kris L. Christine]

I just found an online link to Dr. Schultz's speech and incorporated it into my post above also.

 

What Everyone Needs to Know about Canine Vaccines, Dr. Ronald Schultz http://www.puliclub.org/CHF/AKC2007Conf/What%20Everyone%20Needs%20to%20Know%20About%20Canine%20Vaccines.htm

 

Kris

[Shetlander]

Thank you again for sharing your feelings, I certainly don't intend to offend anyone.

 

Not offended... I sense your sincerity.

 

Personally, I find the formatting of your posts to be very off putting. All the bolding, italics and red lettering. Maybe my tiny brain is over taxed these days but I find myself stopping before I've really started reading the information.

 

Just simple, plain, easily read posts. Nothing too alarming looking (see reference above to tiny, over taxed brain). For me anyway, that would be much more user friendly.

[Kris L. Christine]

Liz,

 

That is so funny you mentioned that -- there have been times I've previewed my own posts and thought the blue and red bolding made the type dance off the page. It probably does give readers eye strain and headaches. I'll try to tone it down in the future. Thank you for the suggestion.

 

I do hope you read the speech, What Everyone Needs to Know about Canine Vaccines, it is outstanding. In case you aren't familiar with him, Dr. Ronald Schultz is the Chair of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. His challenge and serological studies on canine vaccines form a large part of the scientific data base upon which the 2003 and 2006 American Animal Hospital Association's Canine Vaccine Guidelines are based, as well as the 2007 World Small Animal Veterinary Association's Vaccine Guidelines. Dr. Schultz is currently conducting the concurrent 5 & 7 year rabies challenge studies for The Rabies Challenge Fund. http://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/people/ronald%20d%20schultz

 

Kris

[Eileen Stein]

I'll try to tone it down in the future.

 

Thanks for that, and thanks for omitting the exclamation point.

[Joe Anne]

With all the info about Titers and vaccinations, if vacs are not "necessary" before approx 12-16 wks of age, because of mothers immunity (and if I understand correctly, not even effective if given so early ?)... my question is why then do breeders vaccinate puppies even before the 8 week period when many of us bring our pups home at that age?

[Mark Billadeau]

MATERNAL ANTIBODY: OUR BIGGEST OBSTACLE

 

Mark

[Joe Anne]

Mark thank you for that web page. I just checked it out and was amazed at how well they explained the information. I also checked out some of the info on Diseases. Very informative. The info on the vaccine induced sarcomas is a bit scary, but it is always good to become educated. Knowledge is power... and if I can use that power to avoid potential ill fate, all the better! Thanks again..

[Lenajo]

From the referenced article:

 

Mother dogs vaccinated at approximately the time of breeding will have the highest antibody levels to pass on to their puppies.

 

According to W. Jean Dodds DVM once a dog has a response to a vaccine (whether it produces a titer or not - since some dogs never will, and will still be immune per memory cell) it will *never* respond at a greater rate. So "boosters" are pointless, and their use only succeeds in exposing the animal to greater risk of the negative effect of the vaccine. Also it is known risk factor for AIHA (autoimmune hemolytic anemia) to expose an animal to virus via vaccine during a period of stress - which would include gestation and breeding/estrus.

 

It is commonly held that puppies need a certain number of vaccines for protection to be achieved (usually either 3 or 4 is the “magic” number). The number of vaccines given has nothing to do with protection. In order for protection to be achieved, vaccine must be given when it can penetrate maternal antibody.

 

"Commonly believed" is not science but imo vaccine company promotional literature. It has been proven that one vaccine, given after 12 weeks will confer full immunity on most puppies. You can verify that immunity by titer if needed (again, assuming they titer respond, which is another kettle of fish). What I can't see addressed is the risk to pups when you do interfere with maternal immunity. There seems to be a lot of controversy that if you vaccinate too early - the interference with maternal but failure to accept vaccine immunity results in no immunity, and undue immunological vulnerability. Hopefully more will come out on that in the future.

 

interesting article compiling a lot of views

[Mark Billadeau]

"Commonly believed" is not science but imo vaccine company promotional literature.

This was not a canine study (I'm still looking in the scientific literature for one); but it did measure the interference of maternal antibodies in the response of offspring to vaccination.

 

Maternal antibody passively transferred interferes with rabies vaccination in hamsters

Fernanda Bernardi and Fumio H. Ito

College of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechny of the University of São Paulo, Department of Preventive Veterinary Medicine and Animal Health, Sao Paulo, Brazil

 

Transference and interference of maternal immunity to offspring after rabies vaccination were studied in hamsters. Females were vaccinated or not before mating and offspring were vaccinated at the age of 7, 14, 21 and 30 days. Other pups were maintained as controls. Thirty days after vaccination pups were challenged intracerebrally with CVS virus. Mouse neutralization tests were used to verify antibody titers. Mortality of 97.0, 76.9, 60.9 and 24.0% was observed in pups vaccinated at 7, 14, 21 and 30 days respectively, born from vaccinated dams, while in pups from non-vaccinated dams, mortality was 51.4, 28.6, 8.7 and 0.0%. Statistically significant associations were found between mortality and age at vaccination, by simple linear regression with y=−3.1169x+120.8 (p=0.008; r2=0.98) for litters vaccinated and born from vaccinated dams and y=−2.2541x+62.7495 (p=0.03; r2=0.93) for pups vaccinated and born from non-vaccinated dams. Immunological response to vaccination in pups born from vaccinated mothers was delayed 11 days, when compared to that observed in pups of non-vaccinated mothers.

Note: the authors are NOT part of a pharmaceutical company.

 

I'm also trying to relocate the article that described exposing dogs to rabies which had measurable titers and that a significant percentage (30%) became infected.

 

Mark

[Mark Billadeau]

Here is a canine study.

 

Serum antibody response to canine parvovirus, canine adenovirus-1, and canine distemper virus in dogs with known status of immunization: study of dogs in Sweden.

Olson P, Klingeborn B, Hedhammar A.

Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Uppsala, Sweden.

 

Serum antibody titers to canine parvovirus (CPV), canine adenovirus-1 (CAV-1), and canine distemper virus (CDV) were measured in dogs with known immunization status. The dogs represented 3 groups: nonvaccinated dogs less than 12 months old; vaccinated dogs less than 12 months old; and adult dogs greater than 12 months old. For practical reasons, the population from which the specimens were obtained could be considered as free from natural infection with CAV-1 and CDV. In nonvaccinated dogs less than 12 months old, antibodies against all 3 viruses were measured at the time the dogs were given their first vaccination. Altogether, 50.7% of the dogs had titer greater than or equal to 1:10 to CPV, and 26.1 and 46.2% had titer greater than or equal to 1:8 to CAV-1 and CDV, respectively. The concentration of maternal antibody seemed to be of major importance for failure of immunization with use of inactivated CPV vaccine, but not with CAV-1 and CDV vaccination. In dogs less than 12 months old and vaccinated against CPV infection with inactivated virus, only 11.5% had titer greater than or equal to 1:80. In dogs vaccinated against infectious canine hepatitis and canine distemper, 63.2 and 78.3%, respectively, had titer greater than or equal to 1:16. In adult dogs greater than 2 months old and vaccinated against CPV infection, less than 50% had titer greater than or equal to 1:80, regardless of time after vaccination. There was no significant difference in titer between vaccinated and nonvaccinated dogs.

 

 

Note the authors' (not working for a pharmaceutical company) hypothesis based upon their data: "The concentration of maternal antibody seemed to be of major importance for failure of immunization with use of inactivated CPV vaccine, but not with CAV-1 and CDV vaccination."

 

Mark

[Mark Billadeau]

Maternal antibodies have a half-life in offspring. Based upon my reading of the scientific literature the half-life is on the order of 10 days; this means that at age of 10 days the offspring has half the amount of maternal antibodies as it received at day 1. Eventually the offspring will have insufficient amount of antibodies to afford protection (or potentially interfere with vaccination). The time that it takes for the offspring to loose this protection is determined by the decay rate (expressed in terms of half-life) and the starting amount of maternal antibodies it received at day 1.

 

Kinetics of maternal immunity against rabies in fox cubs (Vulpes vulpes)

Thomas Müller1 , Thomas Selhorst2 , Peter Schuster3 , Ad Vos3 , Ulf Wenzel4 and Andreas Neubert3

 

1Institute for epidemiological Diagnostics, Federal Research Centre for Virus Diseases of Animals, WHO Collaborating Centre for Rabies Surveillance and Research, D-16868 Wusterhausen, Germany

2Institute for Epidemiology, Federal Research Centre for Virus Diseases of Animals, WHO Collaborating Centre for Rabies Surveillance and Research, D-16868 Wusterhausen, Germany

3IDT GmbH, PO Box 214, D-06855 Rosslau, Germany

4Fur Animal Breeding station, Nerzfarm Gleinermühle, D-06774 Söllichau, Germany

 

Background

In previous experiments, it was demonstrated that maternal antibodies (maAb) against rabies in foxes (Vulpes vulpes) were transferred from the vixen to her offspring. However, data was lacking from cubs during the first three weeks post partum. Therefore, this complementary study was initiated.

 

Methods

Blood samples (n = 281) were collected from 64 cubs (3 to 43 days old) whelped by 19 rabies-immune captive-bred vixens. Sera was collected up to six times from each cub. The samples were analysed by a fluorescence focus inhibition technique (RFFIT), and antibody titres (nAb) were expressed in IU/ml. The obtained data was pooled with previous data sets. Subsequently, a total of 499 serum samples from 249 cubs whelped by 54 rabies-immune vixens were fitted to a non-linear regression model.

 

Results

The disappearance rate of maAb was independent of the vixens' nAb-titre. The maAb-titre of the cubs decreased exponentially with age and the half-life of the maAb was estimated to be 9.34 days. However, maAb of offspring whelped by vixens with high nAb-titres can be detected for longer by RFFIT than that of offspring whelped by vixens with relatively low nAb-titres. At a mean critical age of about 23 days post partum, maAb could no longer be distinguished from unspecific reactions in RFFIT depending on the amount of maAb transferred by the mother.

 

Conclusions

The amount of maAb cubs receive is directly proportional to the titre of the vixen and decreases exponentially with age below detectable levels in seroneutralisation tests at a relatively early age.

 

This means that even though the mother may be protected if it has a low titer; the amount of antibodies passed to the pups is proportional to the titer and pups receiving lower amounts of maternal antibodies have a shorter duration of protection than pups that receive a higher amount of maternal antibodies.

 

This study indicates that boosters (via exposure or inoculation) DO increase the titers in dogs previously vaccinated.

Serum antibody titres to canine parvovirus, adenovirus and distemper virus in dogs in the UK which had not been vaccinated for at least three years

 

Mark

[Kris L. Christine]

Thank you for the links, Mark.

[nancy in AZ]

In adult dogs greater than 2 months old and vaccinated against CPV infection, less than 50% had titer greater than or equal to 1:80, regardless of time after vaccination. There was no significant difference in titer between vaccinated and nonvaccinated dogs.

 

 

I'm guessing this is a typo (reference to adult dogs greater than *2* months old s/b 12 months old??), but can someone explain why there is no significant difference between titer's of vaccinated and non-vaccinated dogs in that last scenerio? Maybe I didn't read the whole passage thoroughly enough to follow.

Thanks.

[Mark Billadeau]

The lack of change in the CPV titer may be explained by the last article linked which stated:

Natural CPV boosting was strongly suspected because the dogs had significantly higher titres three years after their primary vaccination than two weeks after it and three unvaccinated dogs had acquired protective antibody levels uneventfully. There was no evidence of natural exposure to CDV.

 

Source: Serum antibody titres to canine parvovirus, adenovirus and distemper virus in dogs in the UK which had not been vaccinated for at least three years

Suggesting the assumption "For practical reasons, the population from which the specimens were obtained could be considered as free from natural infection with CAV-1 and CDV (typo?)" was incorrect.

 

Mark

[Mark Billadeau]

This study of rabies indicates that maternal antibodies had no effect on the effectiveness of the vaccine used; it also shows that a booster increased the concentration neutralizing antibodies (increase in titer)

 

RABIES MASS VACCINATION CAMPAIGNS IN TUNISIA:

ARE VACCINATED DOGS CORRECTLY IMMUNIZED?

(The entire article is available at this link; click "Full Text PDF")

 

It appears that the effects of maternal antibodies on the effectiveness of a vaccine are dependent upon the immunogenicity of the vaccine and possibly the target of the vaccine.

 

Mark