Inactivated vaccine induces protection against Mycoplasma agalactiae in sheep

The efficacy of an inactivated oil-emulsion vaccine against Mycoplasma agalactiae was evaluated by an experimental infection of sheep. The vaccinated sheep developed high levels of antibodies and, following challenge, they did not develop any clinical signs of disease and the mycoplasmas were not detected, either by isolation trials or PCR assays carried out both on nasal swabs and milk specimens. The unvaccinated-challenged sheep showed typical signs of M. agalactiae infection and bacterial shedding. The results obtained indicate a good efficacy of the vaccine in eliciting protection against M. agalactiae infection.