VacciCheck and the Role Antibodies Play in Response to CDV and CPV Vaccines in Dogs

Vaccines against canine distemper (CDV) and canine parvovirus (CPV) infections are crucial when it comes to the survival and health of dogs. But what role do antibodies play in regards to vaccines and how can you determine whether revaccination is needed? That’s where VacciCheck comes into play.

Thanks to their ability to prepare the immune system to fight off diseases, vaccines are able to give humans and animals alike immunity without having to experience the disease and its unpleasant symptoms. Decades of medical research and studies have already established that vaccination is the most effective method of preventing the most important infectious diseases in dogs, Canine Distemper Virus (CDV), Canine Parvovirus (CPV) and Canine Adenovirus (CAV).

The measurement of the number of antibody titers is considered the only practical method for predicting a protective immune response following vaccination and is a valuable indicator for determining whether revaccination is needed. Serum Neutralization (SN) and Hemagglutination Inhibition (HI) tests are considered the gold standards for determining protective antibody titers against CDV and CPV, yet these assays are limited to specialized laboratories.

Case Study: Determining Antibody Titers for CDV and CPV in Dogs with Vaccicheck

In the last decade, there have been advances in the availability of rapid and simple in-practice serological test kits that can detect the presence of a protective antibody specific to CDV, CPV and CAV in individual dogs. These test kits complement the traditional laboratory-based SN and HI for serological testing. Biogal’s Canine VacciCheck is one of only two commercially available serology test kits that have been validated by the USDA for an in-practice setting. Since its approval by the USDA, millions of VacciCheck tests have been used globally to confirm the immunization of dogs.

As part of a study published in the Veterinary Medicine and Public Health Journal, the researchers evaluated the immune response of two commercially available vaccines (Nobivac® and Vanguard® ) using the gold standard SN and the Canine VacciCheck, referred in the paper as “Dot-ELISA”. They found that specific neutralizing antibodies against CDV and CPV were present in the sera of dogs three weeks after the initial vaccination with both vaccines with peak antibody titers documented from the second month post-vaccination. Both vaccines were demonstrated to be safe and stimulate a humoral immune response. Results of the serum neutralization test and the VacciCheck were closely similar and correlated with each other.

According to the researchers, the results for IgG antibodies correlated with a previous report in which the VacciCheck IgG antibody levels of CDV and CPV were compared with the serum neutralization tests. The research concluded that VacciCheck is a useful method for the routine evaluation of antibody titers for CDV and CPV in dogs, calling it “ a useful, in-clinic ELISA to determine CDV and CPV antibody status… a simple, rapid, and sensitive method for the routine evaluation of antibody titers for CDV and CPV in dogs.”

Learn more about VacciCheck and try it out in your practice for quick and accurate results!