Vaccine to rescue cattle from IBR

The IBR disease is a recent introduction to India. It is suspected that the disease came from other countries with imported livestock. However, within 10 years of its introduction about 30 per cent of the dairy herds, particularly crossbreds, had been found to be suffering from this disease in the country. IBR is a well-known reproductive problem in western countries causing abortion, repeat breeding and infertility putting dairy farmers in losses Since this was a new disease, there were no facilities in India either to diagnose it or to protect the animals through vaccination. Faced with this serious problem besetting the farmers, BAIF approached the Ministry of Science and Technology to provide financial support to take up the development of a diagnostic kit as well as an effective vaccine against IBR. The project was sanctioned in 1995 following which BAIF scientists began work on the project immediately.

By 1997-98, BAIF succeeded in developing a rapid, reliable, scientific and specific field diagnostic kit for identifying infected animals. This proved to be helpful to veterinary doctors to detect diseased animals. The next step was to control spread of the disease in other animals by preventive vaccination. For this purpose, BAIF developed a safe oil-adjuvanted vaccine.

This vaccine has been extensively tested in organised dairy herds. Trials revealed that with a booster vaccination to be carried out at the end of the third month after the first vaccination, the animals developed excellent immunisation response which can be measured through antibody titres. Field studies have also indicated that the vaccine developed by BAIF is effective and helpful in preventing the disease in different species in livestock.

The city-based Hoechst evinced keen interest in taking up commercial production of IBR vaccine. Accordingly, a leasing agreement for IBR vaccine production was signed between the National Research Development Corporation, New Delhi and Hoechst Roussel Vet Pvt Ltd. The present license will be valid for eight years. As part of the agreement, Hoechst has agreed to pay Rs 15 lakh as licensing fee towards the transfer of this technology and a royalty of five per cent of ex-factory sale price of the vaccines sold. The Ministry of Science and Technology has also listed these two technological achievements in the list of 15 scientific milestones of the ministry during the year.