Humoral immunity of pregnant bitches, vaccinated with inactivated vaccine against parvoviral infections in dogs

Abstract

Parvoviral infections are a big medical and economic problem, in particular in large dog-breeding facilities. Having in mind the manner in which this infection is spread (fecal-oral pathways), and the strong resistence of parvoviruses to the outer environment, general and immunoprophylaxis have a significant role in the control of this dangerous disease. This work examines the humoral immunological response of pregnant bitches, vaccinated with an inactivated vaccine against parvoviral infection in dogs. An experiment was performed on 10 pregnant bitches which were vaccinated on the 42nd day of gravidity with an inactivated vaccine, and an IHA test proved the lowest titer of antibodies was 1:1280, and the highest 1:20480. The titer of pregnant bitches before vaccination ranged from 1:80 to 1:320. These investigations indicate that puppies of vaccinated bitches receive the corresponding level of immunoglobulin through colostrum, and are protected from parvoviral infection in the first 6-7 weeks of life.

Keywords

• parvoviral infection
• pregnant bitches
• colostrum
• inactivated vaccine
• IHA test