Characterization of metabolic and inflammatory responses following administration of three commercially available Mannheimia haemolytica vaccines to beef heifers

Authors: DORNBACH, COLTEN - Texas Tech University; Sanchez, Nicole; HAGENMAIER, JACOB - Elanco Animal Health, Inc; BROWN, MICHAEL - Elanco Animal Health, Inc; CARROLL, JEFFERY - US Department Of Agriculture (USDA); HALES, KRISTIN - Texas Tech University; Broadway, Paul

Submitted to: Frontiers in Animal Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/29/2025
Publication Date: 6/1/2025
Citation: Dornbach, C.W., Sanchez, N.C., Hagenmaier, J., Brown, M.S., Carroll, J.A., Hales, K.E., Broadway, P.R. 2025. Characterization of metabolic and inflammatory responses following administration of three commercially available Mannheimia haemolytica vaccines to beef heifers. Frontiers in Animal Science. 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2025.1560110.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2025.1560110

Interpretive Summary: Vaccines are commonly used to prevent disease in cattle. Mannheimia haemolytica (Mh) is a bacterium that is commonly associated with bovine respiratory disease. Vaccines for this bacterium have been found to cause varying degrees of depression and behavioral changes in cattle. A study was conducted by ARS scientists in Lubbock, TX with university and industry collaborators to evaluate responses to three different Mh vaccines. Each vaccine caused a similar inflammatory response. This response included increases in blood parameters and body temperature. This is one of the first studies to report the immune response to Mh vaccines in cattle. These data will be of interest to scientists studying vaccine immunology, veterinarians, and cattle producers.

Technical Abstract: To evaluate the acute physiological and immunological responses to Mannheimia haemolytica vaccines, weaned heifers (n = 32; body weight [BW] = 296 ± 6.4 kg) were used in a completely randomized design. Heifers were balanced by BW and randomly assigned to one of three vaccine treatments: Nuplura PH (Elanco, Greenfield, IN; NP), OneShot (Zoetis, Parsippany, NJ; OS), or Presponse SQ (Boehringer Ingelheim, St. Joseph, MO; PS). Serial blood samples were collected for 7 d following vaccine administration to quantify multiple serum biomarkers and complete blood cell counts. Heifers were fitted with indwelling vaginal temperature recording devices for the duration of the study. No differences were noted in most CBC variables (P = 0.27) except for PS heifers having greater lymphocytes (P = 0.02) and eosinophils (P < 0.01) than NP and OS heifers. Cortisol remained at or below basal concentrations for the duration of the study (P = 0.23). Glucose concentrations were greater for NP than OS, with PS being intermediate (P = 0.05). There was a tendency (P = 0.08) for a treatment × time interaction for circulating haptoglobin concentrations as NP heifers had a spike of greater magnitude but decreased duration. Likewise, a tendency (P = 0.07) was detected for decreased ceruloplasmin concentrations in PS heifers. The concentration of interleukin-6 (IL-6) was lesser in OS heifers than PS and NP heifers (P = 0.02), but PS heifers had decreased IL-4 concentrations (P < 0.01). No differences were observed in circulating interferon-gamma concentrations among treatments (P = 0.20). Overall, each vaccine treatment elicited similar physiological and inflammatory immune responses despite differences in vaccine composition. Although select immunological markers differed relative to vaccine treatment, it is unlikely these differences resulted in biologically relevant differences.