In a study presented at the 10th International Sheep Veterinary Congress (ISVC), the efficacy of VIMCO® was evaluated by analysing individual and tank somatic cell count (SCC) and milk production. In the following video you can discover the results obtained.
How was it done?
The study was carried out on a farm with around 2,000 Assaf ewes, located in Torres del Carrizal (Zamora, Spain).
Vaccination with VIMCO® began in March 2020, and by March 2021, all lactating ewes had been vaccinated at least once. The animals received a 2-ml dose twice, five and two weeks before the lambing date.
Individual, tank and total production SCC data were collected for three years (2019–2021).
What results were obtained in terms of SCC?
The results show a positive effect of vaccination in terms of individual SCC, since in the years of vaccination an improvement was observed in the values compared to the control year.
Vaccination reduced the probability of an SCC greater than one million in the second year in the entire population
Regarding the tank SCC, an improvement was observed in the second year of vaccination (2021). This is attributable to the fact that during the first year of vaccination (2020), not all lactating animals had yet been vaccinated.
In the second year of vaccination, a 15% reduction in cell count was observed
What about milk production results?
Regarding milk production, vaccinating with VIMCO® also resulted in an increase in daily kg of milk.
Milk production increased by 3.2% in the first year of vaccination, and by 7.5% in the second year
What conclusions can we draw?
Vaccination against the biofilm of Staphylococcus spp. helps to:
– Decrease individual and tank SCC.
– Increase milk production and improve its quality.
Vaccination is key to control subclinical Staphylococcus mastitis and therefore improve profitability
