Updated:22/09/2024

BTV-3 information updates

This page will be updated regularly with resources and information specifically for vets – if you have any queries please email RuminantHW@ahdb.org.uk 

Please visit our  bluetongue hub and resources page for more information, FAQs and live updates.

General licence for bluetongue serotype 3 vaccine – 27/9/24

Click here to view the licence.

BTV vaccines comparison of guidelines – 19/9/24

These comparisons have been created to help inform vets in Restricted Zones about current vaccines.

Click to download or view below:
BVA BTV3 vaccines comparison table 19 09 2024

This document has been compiled for use by the UK Veterinary Associations by Flock Health Ltd., in collaboration with the following organisations:

  • British Cattle Veterinary Association
  • Sheep Veterinary Society
  • British Deer Veterinary Association
  • British Veterinary Camelid Association
  • Goat Vet Society
  • British Veterinary Association

Bluetongue is a notifiable animal disease. If you suspect it you must report it immediately by calling the Defra Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301. In Wales, contact 0300 303 8268. In Scotland, contact your local Field Services Office. Failure to do so is an offence.

BVCS BTV-3 good vaccine practice guide for vets

Information given is based on the data available as of 14/9/2024. Produced by the British Veterinary Camelid Society.

The current BTV-3 vaccines are not licenced for camelids, but their use is allowable under licence, using the Cascade with appropriate withdrawal periods set by the prescriber. Owners are being encouraged to have a risk-based discussion with their vet to determine whether vaccination is appropriate. We recommend that practitioners familiarise themselves with the available SPCs. Safety and efficacy data are not available – but as camelid practitioners we are no strangers to this situation.

BVCS recommendations are based on published data available for vaccines for alternative serotypes of Bluetongue Virus (BTV) with similar or identical excipients to the three available vaccines, as well as unpublished study (Whitehead, Batten and Jackson). These studies suggest improved antibody response to BTV vaccination after the second subcutaneous administration of the primary course, three weeks after the first dose.

There is no data on the duration of immunity from the available vaccines in camelids. We have received limited anecdotal reports of transient pyrexia and injection site nodules in camelid recipients. The transient pyrexia is a potential risk to pregnancy, however vaccine studies with BTV8 strains in late pregnancy do not suggest an adverse effect. It is our recommendation that animals to be vaccinated begin their primary course after day 60 of pregnancy, when it is likely that fetomaternal interface is closely associated.

Vaccines reportedly reduce the severity of clinical signs and mortality in recipients, however this possibility must be balanced with reported clinical signs in infected camelids, where seropositive animals may not display clinical signs. Other camelid practitioners on the continent have reported severe respiratory disease and fatalities in animals known to be infected with bluetongue as well as pyrexia lasting several days – so it appears that camelids do not consistently display typical clinical presentations.

If your clients have made the decision to vaccinate:

  • They must apply for a general licence from APHA if they are within the high-risk areas of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Kent, and East Sussex. They must apply for a specific licence if they are out with these areas.
  • Keepers may administer vaccine to their own animals.
  • As a condition of the licence, all animals vaccinated must have permanent identifiers (such as microchips or ear tags) and these must be recorded and made available if called upon.
  • Any wasted vaccine must be returned to the prescribing veterinary surgeon. Therefore, keepers cannot arrange vaccine drives amongst themselves.
  • The cold chain must be preserved. All storage and handling information is on the SPC.
  • We recommend that regardless of vaccine choice, that two doses of primary course are given at the sheep dose regardless of whether this is a single shot vaccine in sheep according to the datasheet. This must be factored into your vaccine order.
  • Animals should be gently and quietly handled during vaccination.
  • The fibre over the injection site (likely axillary region) should be clean and dry.
  • We recommend that to prevent potential spread from subclinically infected animals during vaccination that a fresh needle is used per animal.

 

References

Olivera, L., Zago, D., Leiser, R., Jones, C., & Bevilacqua, E. (2003). Placentation in the alpaca Lama pacos. Anatomy and embryology, 207, 45-62.

Tibary, A.: Theriogenology in Camelidae. Anatomy, Physiology, Pathology and Artificial Breeding. Abu Dhabi Printing and Publishing Company, Mina, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 1997.

Tibary, A., Anouassi, A., Sghiri, A., & Khatir, H. (2007). Current knowledge and future challenges in camelid reproduction. Society of Reproduction and Fertility supplement, 64, 297-313.

Zanolari, P., Bruckner, L., Fricker, R., Kaufmann, C., Mudry, M., Griot, C., & Meylan, M. (2010). Humoral Response to 2 Inactivated Bluetongue Virus Serotype‐8 Vaccines in South American Camelids. Journal of veterinary internal medicine, 24(4), 956-959.

BVCS take no responsibility for the accuracy, efficacy or safety of the doses provided, nor for any adverse reactions following administration. Owners should be advised of the above, including any known risks of use and signed off-licence consent obtained.

BTV-3 vaccination in UK goats - Current advice

Current advice – September 2024 

Hopefully all goat keepers in the UK will be well aware of the presence of Bluetongue, currently in the East of England, a notifiable viral disease affecting all ruminants (eg cattle, sheep, goats and deer) as well as camelids (llamas and alpacas). This incursion of Bluetongue is caused by BTV-3 and is spread from animal to animal via biting midges. There is evidence of local transmission indicating that the midge populations in areas affected are likely to have become infected. The situation is a rapidly developing and changing one and all ruminant keepers are urged to keep abreast of the situation and look out (and report if appropriate) for signs of disease.

Regularly updated information with BTV-3 FAQs and advice can be found at:

Although evidence from countries that have already experienced severe outbreaks, such as the Netherlands, suggests the clinical signs of this BTV-3 strain appear to be milder in goats than sheep, goat keepers must still be vigilant and report any suspicion of disease. The effects of disease in goats are still potentially very serious, on an individual and herd basis, and infected goats can also be a source of infection for onward transmission to other ruminants.

DEFRA has recently permitted the use of three BTV-3 vaccines in the UK which can be administered under a general licence for animal keepers in high-risk counties. Animal keepers outside these high-risk counties, after careful discussion with their veterinarian, can apply for specific licences to vaccinate their ruminant livestock. 

The three BTV-3 vaccines, which are shortly becoming available, are authorised for use in cattle and sheep but are unlicensed for goats, although they can be used under the prescribing Cascade with suitable withdrawal periods set by the prescribing vet. Owners are being encouraged to have a risk-based discussion with their vet to determine whether vaccination is appropriate. We recommend that veterinary practitioners familiarise themselves with the available SPCs. Safety and efficacy data are not available, which is a familiar situation for goat practitioners. We advise that practitioners considering the use of BTV-3 in goats familiarise themselves with the SPCs and reach out to the vaccine manufacturers for their specific advice relating to use in goats. As with all unlicensed medicines great care must be taken to monitor for any adverse reactions and report them promptly. It is likely that vaccine reactions in goats will include transient pyrexia and localised reaction at the site of injection and practitioners may want to give particular thought to the risks of a transient pyrexia in early pregnancy. There is currently no data on the likely duration of immunity and the vaccines are reported to reduce the severity of clinical disease and mortality and to reduce viraemia, but they do not prevent it. Vaccinated animals may therefore still become infected and be infectious.

If, after careful vet-owner discussion, goat keepers decide to vaccinate:

  • They must obtain a general licence if they are within a high-risk county or apply for a specific licence if they are out-with these areas.
  • Keepers may administer vaccine to their own animals.
  • As a condition of the licence, all goats vaccinated must be identified in accordance with the legislation.
  • Any wasted vaccine must be returned to the prescribing veterinary surgeon.
  • The cold chain must be preserved. All storage and handling information on the SPC must be observed.
  • Animals should be gently and quietly handled during vaccination.
  • We recommend that to prevent potential spread from subclinically infected animals during vaccination that a fresh needle is used per animal.

GVS Executive September 2024

If you are a qualified vet with questions or insight linked to the current BTV-3 situation, please do get in touch ruminanthw@ahdb.org.uk
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