Article Vaccination of Sheep with Bovine Viral Diarrhea Vaccines Does Not Protect against Fetal Infection after Challenge of Pregnant Ewes with Border Disease Virus Gilles Meyer 1,* , Mickael Combes 2, Angelique Teillaud 1, Celine Pouget 3, Marie-Anne Bethune 4 and Herve Cassard 1 1 Interactions Hôtes-Agents Pathogènes (IHAP), Université de Toulouse, INRAE, ENVT, 31100 Toulouse, France;
[email protected] (A.T.);
[email protected] (H.C.) 2 Groupement Vétérinaire Saint Léonard, 87400 Saint Léonard de Noblat, France;
[email protected] 3 Fédération des Organismes de Défense Sanitaire de l’Aveyron, 12000 Rodez, France;
[email protected] 4 RT1 Port Laguerre, BP 106, Païta, 98890 Nouvelle Calédonie, France;
[email protected] * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +33-5-61-19-32-98 Abstract: Border Disease (BD) is a major sheep disease characterized by immunosuppression, congen- ital disorders, abortion, and birth of lambs persistently infected (PI) by Border Disease Virus (BDV). Control measures are based on the elimination of PI lambs, biosecurity, and frequent vaccination which aims to prevent fetal infection and birth of PI. As there are no vaccines against BDV, farmers use vaccines directed against the related Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV). To date, there is no published evidence of cross-effectiveness of BVDV vaccination against BDV infection in sheep. We Citation: Meyer, G.; Combes, M.; tested three commonly used BVDV vaccines, at half the dose used in cattle, for their efficacy of Teillaud, A.; Pouget, C.; Bethune, protection against a BDV challenge of ewes at 52 days of gestation. Vaccination limits the duration of M.-A.; Cassard, H.