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Vetcandy: Canine Valley Fever Vaccine

Study shows vaccine protects dogs against Valley fever

A possible canine vaccine for Valley fever took one giant step closer to becoming a reality thanks to a University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson-led study that showed the vaccine provided a high level of protection against Coccidioides posadasii, a fungus that causes Valley fever. The development of a potential canine vaccine serves as a positive harbinger of a human vaccine.

Valley fever, also known as coccidioidomycosis, is primarily a disease of the lungs caused by the inhalation of airborne particles of the fungus Coccidioides, which is found in the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico. Dogs are very susceptible to Valley fever, and it is estimated that Valley fever costs Arizona dog owners at least $60 million per year.

“The idea of a vaccine to prevent Valley fever has been the holy grail since the 1950s,” said John Galgiani, MD, director of the UArizona Valley Fever Center for Excellence and a professor of medicine. “We created a vaccine that worked. The dogs had all sorts of laboratory evidence of active, very widespread disease, and the vaccine prevented it.”

U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations require that new veterinary vaccines must be documented as safe and effective in the target species. This is the first study to examine a potential Valley fever vaccine in dogs, and the results were encouraging.

The study found that Valley fever was prevented or greatly reduced in dogs that received an initial vaccine followed by a booster 28 days later. Any disease symptoms that were seen were so mild as to be clinically irrelevant. 

Researchers also found that a single vaccination without a second shot did not convey protection against Valley fever, which demonstrated the need for a booster. In all dogs, the vaccine was well-tolerated.

The paper, “Δcps1 Vaccine Protects Dogs Against Experimentally Induced Coccidioidomycosis,” was published in the journal Vaccine. First author Lisa Shubitz, DVM, is a research scientist at the Valley Fever Center for Excellence, where she collaborates with Dr. Galgiani and co-author Marc Orbach, PhD, a plant pathologist in the UArizona College of Agriculture and Life Sciences whose genetic research led to the development of delta cps-1. The unique strain of Coccidioides appears not to cause disease and was used to develop the live vaccine used in this study.

The Valley Fever Center for Excellence has been working to create an effective vaccine for the prevention of Valley fever in dogs for decades, and this study is a large step forward toward meeting the licensing requirements for a vaccine for dogs.

Scientists at Anivive Lifesciences in Long Beach, California, who collaborated on the study along with Colorado State University and the University of Queensland in Australia, are poised to take the next step.

“The protection provided by this vaccine in dogs is significant as it provides compelling promise as the first systemic fungal vaccine in dogs, who are significantly more susceptible to coccidioidomycosis then man,” said Edward Robb, DVM, MS, DACVIM, chief strategy officer for Anivive Lifesciences and a co-author on the paper.

As scientists move a canine vaccine closer to market, they also will build on this research to assess potential vaccine response in people. Anivive Lifesciences has started the vaccine registration process in the U.S. with the Center for Veterinary Biologics and are collaborating with Crozet BioPharma for a human vaccine.

“Equally promising is that this vaccine will encourage development of this vaccine candidate for humans, addressing its significant public health value in the endemic region,” Dr. Robb added. “The progression from concept to potential clinical use could not have been possible without the collaboration that defines this unique public-private partnership. This One Health approach supports the adage that dogs are indeed man’s best friend.”  

Because this is the first study of its kind, it is unknown how long immunity will last. That is a question that likely will be answered once a licensed vaccine is available through veterinarians. Still, if a canine vaccine proves successful, it paves the way for additional investment and research into a human vaccine, which is desperately needed in certain regions of the world.

While half of the people who get Valley fever remain asymptomatic, others will experience a weeks-to-months-long respiratory illness that affects approximately 1% annually of the total population in Arizona and central California. Ten percent of every 100,000 patients will develop complications that can result in long-term treatment and medical care, permanent disability or death. Annually, the disease has an economic impact of nearly $1.5 billion in California and Arizona.

by Jill Lopez

VIN Student Rounds

Are you missing out on clinical rotations because of COVID-19? The VIN Student Team has you covered with Tuesday Topic Rounds.  During the month of November, join the VIN Student Team for 30 minute, case-based sessions on different epidemiology concepts. Everyone and all levels of experience are welcome. There will be time for Q&A and discussion following. The next session is on Strategic Screening: Use of Multiple Tests – Serial and Parallel Testing November 9, 2021 at 12 ET.

In this rounds: 

• The key differences between series and parallel testing
• How to use series or parallel testing for best clinical decision making

TO JOIN THE SESSION, LOG INTO THE VIN STUDENT CENTER AND CLICK THE GREEN BUTTON IN THE TOP RIGHT

The Veterinary Information Network (VIN) is here to help you as a vet student – especially during this worldwide pandemic. Membership is always free as a student!

Vetcandy: Seven personality and behaviour traits identified in cats

Researchers at the University of Helsinki have developed a new comprehensive questionnaire for surveying feline personality and behaviour. A dataset of more than 4,300 cats representing 26 breed groups revealed seven personality and behaviour traits, with significant differences observed between breeds. Cats are our most common pets, and feline behaviour is increasingly being investigated due to a range of behavioural problems. Another topic of interest in addition to behaviour traits is personality since it can be connected to behavioural problems. “Compared to dogs, less is known about the behaviour and personality of cats, and there is demand for identifying related problems and risk factors. We need more understanding and tools to weed out problematic behaviour and improve cat welfare. The most common behavioural challenges associated with cats relate to aggression and inappropriate elimination,” says doctoral researcher Salla Mikkola from the University of Helsinki and the Folkhälsan Research Center.

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Scholarship Opportunity

HABA, the Human Animal Bond Association is offering a scholarship for a second year student who has been active with human animal bond related activities.

This scholarship goes to a student of an accredited school of veterinary medicine who has demonstrated understanding of and has acted in the promotion of the human-animal bond, with special consideration given to acts of service and leadership.

September 1^st – Accepting Applications
January 15^th – Applications Closed
March 15^th – Winner Announcement

HABA will sponsor a student scholarship of up to $2000/year, with the final amount determined by the board of directors. The board reserves the right to offer more than one scholarship or no scholarship at all. The scholarship is to be used toward tuition/fees and payment for the calendar year and will be made directly to the student’s school. 

You can find more information about the scholarship and apply for it here:

https://www.humananimalbond.net/celebrate/scholarships/