Comparative analysis of VITAVAC oil adjuvants formulated in inactivated foot-and-mouth disease vaccines

Introduction. Foot-and-mouth disease remains one of the most significant transboundary viral infections of livestock, as evidenced by epizootic situation data over the past five years. Culture inactivated vaccines are used for the specific prevention of this disease. For the manufacture of emulsion vaccines, the use of oil adjuvants is essential. Currently, a wide range of these components is available on the global market, including a new product from the Indian company VITAVAC.

Objective. Comparative analysis of VITAVAC oil adjuvants formulated in inactivated foot-and-mouth disease vaccines.

Materials and methods. The following experimental samples of oil adjuvants were tested: VITAVAC 50 (Batch G-221), VITAVAC 70 (Batch G-223), VITAVAC 250 (Batch M-2508). The physicochemical properties of emulsion vaccines manufactured using these adjuvants were analyzed, and their innocuity, safety, and potency were evaluated in accordance with the requirements of the World Organisation for Animal Health.

Results. The most favorable combination of emulsion stability after long-term storage and a pronounced immune response was observed in an experimental vaccine sample formulated with VITAVAC 70 oil adjuvant. Vaccines based on VITAVAC 250 induced virus-neutralizing antibodies with a titer above 1.65 lg SN50 , but exhibited lower emulsion stability during storage. The vaccine based on VITAVAC 50 oil adjuvant induced lower levels of specific virus-neutralizing antibodies than the other vaccine variants. The results obtained suggest that oil-based adjuvants of the VITAVAC line, particularly VITAVAC 70, are promising candidates for use in the production of inactivated foot-and-mouth disease vaccines.

Conclusion. The results obtained support the view that VITAVAC 70 is the most promising adjuvant for use in the production of inactivated emulsion vaccines against foot-and-mouth disease for pigs. This product demonstrates comparable performance to the traditionally used oil adjuvants Montanide ISA 206 VG and Montanide ISA 61 VG across several parameters.

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