Includes Sponsored Content
Before commercial pinkeye vaccines were approved, autogenous vaccines offered veterinarians and producers a way to protect against herd-specific strains of bacteria that cause pinkeye in cattle. In the article linked here, Gregg Hanzlicek, DVM, PhD, reintroduces the value of autogenous vaccines, the challenges with cross-protection and how pinkeye disease is contracted.
Hanzlicek says the four main pink eye-causing bacteria include Mycoplasma bovis, Mycoplasma bovoculi, Moraxella bovis* and Moraxella bovoculi*.
*Commercial vaccines are available for these strains
Source: BEEF, June 21, 2024. Link. Healthy eyes and eyes with pink eye are going to have the same bacteria, shares Hanzlicek. To create a pink eye infection, something must break the integrity of the cornea which allows those bacteria to enter the underlying layers of the eye, thereby starting an infection. Controlling face flies and house flies is an important element of pinkeye prevention.
Sponsored Content
Addison Biological Laboratory remains a pioneer in pinkeye autogenous and commercial vaccine production. An April AHD post, A bad sample is worse than no sample reveals the importance of sample handling and its effect on diagnosing strains <Link>.
An August 2020 post, Understanding pinkeye; a laboratory overview, shared how abbreviating bacterian names causes confusion and sometimes results in assuming even properly administered vaccines have failed <Link>.
Moraxella bovoculi and Mycoplasma bovoculi are both abbreviated as M. bovoculi. BUT, Mycoplasma bovoculi does NOT cause pinkeye, rather it is locally immunosuppressive which may severely compromise protection induced by vaccination.”
Also see: Search Results for: pinkeye, AHD Archives. Link.