Use of a live chlamydial vaccine to prevent ovine enzootic abortion

A lyophilised chlamydial vaccine was prepared from the 1B temperature-sensitive strain of ovine Chlamydia psittaci. Ewes inoculated with a low titre of the live vaccine four weeks before artificial insemination were challenged on day 70 of gestation with five UK field isolates of C psittaci including strains A22 and S26/3 previously incorporated into a commercial inactivated vaccine. There was a significantly lower chlamydial abortion rate after challenge in the vaccinated group (7.1 per cent) than in the unvaccinated group (80 per cent). All the lambs born to the vaccinated ewes were viable and of good quality. The vaccine also reduced the number of infected ewes in the group and the severity of the infection. The compatibility of the chlamydial vaccine and a toxoplasma vaccine was also tested. The abortion rate of ewes vaccinated with the two vaccines at separate injection sites (16 per cent) was less than that of ewes vaccinated with both vaccines at one site (32 per cent).