Hiprabovis 3 – the ideal choice for bull vaccinations
Hiprabovis 3 is an ideal vaccine for bulls. Not only does this vaccine contain bovine viral diarrhoea
(BVD), it also vaccinates against bovine herpes virus 1 (BoHV-1) and parainfluenza 3 (PI-3) virus.
It is essential that NZ dairy farmers only accept bulls onto their farm that are
1. tested and proven as not persistently infected (PI) with BVD and
2. certified as vaccinated with a BVD vaccine (certificates are available from your vet)
In addition to being careful about bull BVD status, vaccination against bovine herpes virus provides
further insurance against poor reproductive performance. Genital herpes lesions on the bull can be
painful and make him less willing to breed. Bovine herpes virus is readily spread and can cause
fertility impacts in the breeding herd. Importantly, animals previously infected with bovine herpes
virus can have ‘latent’ or silent infections that can reoccur if the animal is under stress. These
‘carrier’ animals are the ‘silent threat’ as their infection may flare up leading to spread of the virus.
The benefits of Hiprabovis 3, over and above using a single component BVD vaccine, are:
1. Protection against transient infection with viruses common in NZ. The main risk of viral
infection for bulls is the accompanying high temperature and negative impact that this may
have on future semen quality.
2. Protection against symptoms of bovine herpes virus (genital lesions). This means that even
if infection is present in the herd, the bull won’t act as a vector for the spread of this virus.
3. Most importantly, even if a bull has already been infected with BoHV-1 and is latently
infected (a silent carrier), vaccination will reduce the likelihood of this infection reoccurring
(reactivating) when the bull comes under stress. Again, this means bulls will not be a vector
of spread of genital herpes to cows in the herd.
The clinical incidence of bovine herpesvirus-1 may be relatively low in New Zealand, but it does
occur throughout the country. Askin recently reported a significant impact on bull fertility in cases
where IBR was recovered in semen, and he suggested this may have been due to pyrexia during
initial IBR infection.
Genital infection with BoHV-1 can have a deleterious impact on the herd, for example through
reduction in conception (seen as “long returns”).
BVD is well known to cause production loss in cattle, increasing the risk of abortion if cows contact
the disease while pregnant.
Consequently the “insurance” of including BoHV-1 and PI-3 along with the BVD vaccine given to bulls
makes perfect sense.
Hiprabovis-3 (A07140) is a Restricted Veterinary Medicine, registered pursuant to the ACVM Act,
1997. Available only under veterinary authorisation.
References
Askin, B IBR causing infertility in bulls: A case study. Proceedings of the NZVA Conference 2013 p261-262
Muylkens, B, Thiry, J, Kirten, P, Schynts, F, Thiry, E. Bovine herpesvirus 1 infection and infectious bovine
rhinotracheitis – a review. Vet Res 38 (2007) 181 – 209.
Parkinson, TJ, Vermunt, JJ and Malmo, J. Diseases of Cattle in Australasia. VetLearn. 2010.
van Drunen Little – van den Hurk, S. Rationale and perspectives on the success of vaccination against bovine
herpesvirus-1. Veterinary Microbiology 113 (2006), 275 – 282.