Evaluation of Two Vaccines against Foot-and-Mouth Disease Used in Transcaucasian Countries by Small-Scale Immunogenicity Studies Conducted in Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia

In countries endemic for foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), routine or emergency vaccinations are strategic tools to control the infection. According to the WOAH/FAO guidelines, a prior estimation of vaccine effectiveness is recommendable to optimize control programs. This study reports the results of a small-scale immunogenicity study performed in Transcaucasian Countries. Polyvalent vaccines, including FMDV serotypes O, A (two topotypes) and Asia1 from two different manufacturers, were evaluated in Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia. Naïve large and small ruminants were vaccinated once and a subgroup received a second booster dose. The titers of neutralizing antibodies in sera collected sequentially up to 180 DPV were determined through the Virus Neutralization Test versus homologous strains. This study led to the estimate that both the vaccines evaluated will not induce a protective and long-lasting population immunity, even after a second vaccination, stressing that consecutive administrations of both vaccines every three months are mandatory if one aspires to achieve protective herd immunity.