Moving the needle forward

University of Missouri researchers are working to develop the first-ever vaccine proven to protect cattle from a devastating fly- and tick-borne cattle disease.

Bovine anaplasmosis—which is common in MFA territory—infects the red blood cells of cattle and causes hundreds of millions of dollars in economic losses nationwide each year and nearly $1 billion in losses worldwide, primarily due to reduced cattle production, treatment costs and deaths.

Roman Ganta, a McKee endowed professor in Mizzou’s College of Veterinary Medicine and a Bond Life Sciences Center researcher, led the study that created the new vaccine. The work involved genetically modifying the pathogen Anaplasma marginale—which causes bovine anaplasmosis—in a lab. By deleting a specific gene and then injecting the modified pathogen into cattle, the vaccinated cattle were successfully immunized against the disease.

“I often receive calls from cattle producers who are excited about our research and want to know how soon they can get the vaccine,” Ganta said. “There is currently no effective, widely available vaccine for the disease, and farmers are very worried about the disease harming or killing their cattle. We are working hard to come up with a viable solution.”

Ganta said the new vaccine has been proven to give immunized cattle protection against bovine anaplasmosis for at least a month, and he and his team are eager to conduct additional research to determine how long the genetically modified pathogen can provide immunity for cattle. Ganta is also collaborating with industry partners to discuss future distribution of the new vaccine—which has been patented—to cattle producers.

Dr. Tony Martin, MFA Incorporated manager of animal health, says the vaccine shows “promise.”

“The real test—and greatest benefit—will be in researching its effectiveness on mature breeding stock (cows and bulls) and being sure that it does not create any problems in calves that are born to vaccinated mothers,” Martin said. “There is still a long road to even conditional approval by the FDA for commercial use, but this is a good step in the right direction.”

Image caption: Though the anaplasmosis vaccine is not yet available to producers, the University of Missouri has patented the technology and is working with industry partners to discuss future distribution. MU researchers are also conducting further studies to evaluate its long-term effectiveness.