Iranian Veterinary Journal

Iranian Veterinary Journal

Persistence of Maternal-Derived Antibody against Clostridium Perfringens Type D Epsilon Toxin in Goat Kids

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors
Zahra Cheraghi 1
Afshin Raoofi 2
Samad Lotfollahzadeh 3
َ Arman Shokri 1
Farhad Moosakhani 4
Parham Mottaghian 5
Abdolrahman Kazemi Hasanvand 6
1 DVSc Student in Large Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
2 Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
3 Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
4 Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch, Karaj, Iran
5 Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Islamic Azad University, Karaj Branch, Karaj, Iran
6 DVM Graduated from Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran
10.22055/ivj.2025.513762.2786
Abstract
    Enterotoxemia occurs in goats as a common disease with high mortality. The present study aimed to investigate maternal-derived antibodies against epsilon toxin to improve vaccination strategies for enterotoxemia in goats in Iran. Kids born from 12 vaccinated goats and kids born from 7 unvaccinated goats were sampled at 0, 3, 14, 28, 42, 56, 70, and 86 days of age. A commercial blocking ELISA kite was used for serological analysis of samples. The percentage of inhibition was significantly higher in vaccinated dams compared to unvaccinated ones. In kids, the percentage of inhibition in both groups was statically similar until 42 days of age. After this point, the percentage of inhibition in the control group decreased significantly, becoming notably lower compared to the treatment group at 56 and 70 days old. At 86 days old, the percentage of inhibition in both groups was statically indifferent. In the unvaccinated group, the percentage of inhibition at 56 days of age is significantly lower than the percentage of inhibition at 42 days of age.  Moreover, in the vaccinated group, the percentage of inhibition at 70 days of age was significantly lower than at 56 days of age. In conclusion, vaccinating dams during the last month of pregnancy is effective in enhancing maternally derived antibody titers against epsilon toxin in kids. In goat kids born to vaccinated and non-vaccinated dams, 56–70 and 42–56 days of age, respectively, seem to be the proper times for the administration of the first dose of the enterotoxemia vaccine.
Keywords
Clostridium perfringens
Entrotoxemia
Epsilon toxin
Kids
Vaccine

Subjects

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