Effects
Of Vaccination On The Endocrine And Immune Systems
of Dogs, Phase II
I am copying
you on the "Executive Summary" that was provided to
me by Dr. Harm HogenEsch at Purdue University who is
the Senior Immunologist conducting the Vaccine Study
in Beagles that received some publicity last
year. Please remember when you read this that
it is a summary of activities. If anyone want
the details I can provide that too.
Regards,
Paul
H. Hardiman,
Chairman GDCA Health
& Welfare Committee
PROGRESS
REPORT
Effects
Of Vaccination On The Endocrine And Immune Systems of
Dogs, Phase II
Purdue University, November 1, 1999
Drs. Harm HogenEsch and Larry T. Glickman
Concern
has been growing among owners, breeders, and veterinarians
that current vaccines cause immune-mediated diseases
in dogs. Vaccination is highly effective in preventing
infectious disease, but the safety of many vaccines
and the frequency of their administration are being
questioned. The Vaccine Research Group at the
Purdue University School of Veterinary Medicine has
been conducting several studies to address these issues.
In one such study, we are trying to determine if current
vaccines cause changes in the immune system of the dog
that will eventually result in life-threatening immune
mediated diseases. The Beagle being used in this
study were bred by us and then vaccinated following
a typical schedule used for pet dogs. These Beagles
have been closely followed for three years with blood
and other tests performed at regular intervals.
To
date, routine vaccination of these Beagles has not caused
any overt signs of clinical disease. However,
the blood of all the vaccinated dogs contains significantly
elevated concentrations of antibodies directed against
proteins that are present in commercial vaccines as
contaminants of the production process. None of
the unvaccinated control dogs has had a similar increase
in these antibodies. These proteins are typically
of bovine origin since fetal calf serum is used to grow
the viruses for vaccine production. The close
similarity in structure of the bovine proteins to dog
proteins results in a situation whereby the antibodies
produced by the vaccinated dogs may cross-react with
dog tissue proteins in a process similar to autoimmunity.
Experiments in other animal species suggest that these
autoantibodies might eventually cause diseases in the
vaccinated animals, but these
Beagle dogs will need to be followed longer to determine
if this is the case. In addition, the pattern
of individual responses of the immune system to vaccination
in this study suggests a possible genetic predisposition
to autoimmunity.
