Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Effectiveness of early vaccination in 6-week-old kittens against
By Dawson, S et al.·Published in Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery·2001·Departments of Veterinary Clinical Science and Animal Husbandry·View original on Crossref →
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Original publication title: A Field Trial to Assess the Effect of Vaccination against Feline Herpesvirus, Feline Calicivirus and Feline Panleucopenia Virus in 6-Week-Old Kittens
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A group of 6-week-old kittens received a vaccine to protect against three serious viruses: feline herpesvirus, feline calicivirus, and feline panleucopenia. Those vaccinated early at 6 weeks showed a strong immune response by 9 weeks, compared to unvaccinated kittens. Interestingly, kittens vaccinated at the conventional schedule of 9 and 12 weeks had similar antibody levels by 12 and 15 weeks. This suggests that early vaccination can be effective in boosting immunity in young kittens.
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Abstract
A trivalent (feline panleucopenia, feline herpesvirus, feline calicivirus), modified live, commercially available cat vaccine was used at either 6, 9 and 12 weeks of age (early schedule) or 9 and 12 weeks of age (conventional schedule), and the serological response to vaccination was assessed. The level of maternally derived antibody present at 6 weeks of age was also established. The use of early vaccination at 6 weeks of age induced an antibody response to each virus by 9 weeks of age in a significant proportion of kittens compared with unvaccinated littermates. There was no difference between the conventionally and early-vaccinated groups in terms of antibody response to any antigen by 12 and 15 weeks of age.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Crossref: https://doi.org/10.1053/jfms.2000.0154