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Hygieia - Escherichia Coli Bacterin
The cell walls of gram negative bacteria (such as E. coli, Salmonella, Pasteurella. etc.) contain endotoxin as an integral structural element. Due to the similarity between these structural endotoxin elements (the so-called "core antigens"! across many families of gram negative bacteria, immunity against one has been shown to confer some immunity against the others. This is the basis for the development of core antigen vaccines such as J-5.
During gram negative bacterial infections, such as coliform mastitis, endotoxin is released from the cell walls, becoming "free endotoxin" which can cause fever, anorexia, depression, shock, abortion, and even death.
Vaccination with a core antigen vaccine raises immunity against endotoxin; antibodies that are made following vaccination bind to and neutralize endotoxin. The use of core antigen vaccines is widely reported to result in less mortality and morbidity from gram negative infections.
Safety
Endotoxin is also released from bacterial cell walls during the manufacturing of vaccines. Free endotoxin in vaccines can harm cows. Hygieia Biological Laboratories is the only manufacturer which prints the actual value (endotoxin units or "EU" per milliliter! on every label. Here is a comparison with another J-5 product (average of three serials each):
The J-5 produced by Hygieia has far lower levels of free endotoxin than competing products—up to thousands of times lower. Lower free endotoxin means increased safety of the vaccine. Hygieia`s J-5 Escherichia Coli Bacterin is the lowest endotoxin core antigen vaccine available.
None of the other vaccine manufacturers put their product`s free endotoxin level on the label. Now you know why.
Efficacy
Hygieia`s J-5 was compared to the Upjohn |now 7oetis] J-5 in field efficacy trials. Commercial Holsteins were vaccinated according to label {at seven and eight months gestation, and after freshening), then followed for one lactation during which exposure to coliform bacteria was from the environment. While the Upjohn J-b vaccine showed a 65% decrease in clinical cases of coliform mastitis, the Hygieia J-5 vaccine showed an 89% decrease in clinical cases of coliform mastitis: