Evaluation of the Safety and Immunogenicity of a Peste Des Petits Ruminants (PPR), Sheep and Goat Pox (SGP) and Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia (CCPP) Multivalent Vaccine (JOVAC-Combo®) Under Field Conditions in Somalia

Abstract

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), sheep and goat pox (SGP), and contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) are diseases of small ruminants and are the major constraints to livestock trading in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Vaccination against these diseases individually is challenging to veterinary authorities due to high cost and logistics. In this study, we evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a multivalent vaccine (JOVAC-Combo®) in goats in Somalia that induced seroconversion against all three pathogens, PPR, SGP, and CCPP. A total of 120 apparently healthy, seronegative young goats (4–9 months old) from three different villages in Somalia were enrolled (90 vaccinated with JOVAC-Combo® and 30 controls) and monitored for evidence of adverse effects and serological response for 90 days post-vaccination. JOVAC-Combo® was found to be safe and immunogenic, with no detectable side effects. JOVAC-Combo® induced humoral immunity by 14 days post-vaccination; at 30 days post-vaccination, antibody levels were high for all three pathogens, and they remained high until the end of the study (day 90). Whether immunity persists beyond the study period, and whether it translates into protection against clinical disease, remains to be established. These findings present a positive indication for the use of a cost-effective multivalent vaccine for supporting the national and regional efforts to control and reduce impacts of PPR, SGP, and CCPP infections in endemic areas.