Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health is adding a new vaccine to its bovine vaccine portfolio with the launch of Fencovis, a new calf scour vaccine with a prevention claim, providing passive immunity to calves through the cows’ maternal colostrum.
Calf diarrhoea, also known as calf scour, is a sign of a range of gastrointestinal diseases affecting unweaned newborn calves.
It is multifactorial in nature involving infectious and non-infectious causes. Calves are born without circulating antibodies and are reliant on those they absorb from colostrum in the first few hours after birth for protection against infection early in life.
Vaccinating cows against key scour pathogens will boost the level of antibodies in the colostrum to help to ensure that calves are optimally protected against this disease.
A 2021 German study reported the incidence of diarrhoea to be 18.5 percent and the most common disease observed in almost 14,000 neonatal calves examined on 731 dairy herds.
Together with Fencovis, the first calf scour vaccine with a prevention claim against E. coli F5 and bovine rotavirus, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health provides a holistic lean approach to cattle farming through its training and support services.
This is aimed at vets to allow them to further improve calf management and ensure optimal gut and immune health, inspiring excellence in calf rearing.
Fencovis is indicated for the active immunisation of pregnant heifers and cows in order to stimulate the development of antibodies against bovine rotavirus, bovine coronavirus and E. coli expressing F5 (K99) adhesin and to increase the level of passive immunity of calves against neonatal diarrhoea caused by bovine rotavirus, bovine coronavirus and E. coli expressing F5 (K99) adhesin.
In calves fed with colostrum and milk from vaccinated cows, these antibodies have been demonstrated to prevent diarrhoea caused by rotavirus andE. coli F5 (K99) adhesin and reduce the incidence and severity of diarrhoea caused by coronavirus.
Viral shedding in calves infected by rotavirus and coronavirus was also reduced by Fencovis.
Gerald Behrens, global head of ruminants at Boehringer Ingelheim, says: “We are excited to launch the first calf scour vaccine in the market with a prevention claim.
“Fencovis, together with our lean management training for vets, supports excellence in calf management, particularly around the vital feeding of colostrum to calves.
“Boehringer Ingelheim will provide guidance to veterinarians for the use of lean management tools to maximise the impact of Fencovis on farm and help farmers produce healthier and more productive calves.”
Findlay MacBean, business head livestock at Boehringer Ingelheim UK and Ireland, added: “Fencovis is a welcome addition to our calf health range in the UK and Ireland allowing us to better support vets and farmers to optimise calf performance by targeting the two most common diseases in calves; calf scour and calf pneumonia.”
Following the latest registration studies, Fencovis, which is a suspension for injection, has been shown to provide robust protection using a non-oil adjuvant. Boehringer Ingelheim’s new vaccine comes with flexible presentations including a single dose pack.
Fencovis will be available in certain markets within the European Union and in the United Kingdom and Ireland before the end of the year.
