Question About Distemper Vaccine

[rachelc]

I read this on the website for the NeoVac D distemper vaccine:
Ferret Studied
Not virulent in ferrets as determined by standards set forth in 9CFR 113.306.
No post-vaccination shedding of canine distemper virus; therefore, no chance of vaccine induced disease.
What does this mean? I have a 12 week old baby and two year and a half olds that need distemper vaccines. I have three older ferrets that the vet advises not to vaccinate because of health problems. The older ones haven't been vaccinated in years. Could they possibly catch distemper from shedding of the virus from the vaccinated ferrets?

[abbeytheferret6]

While the reading to me sounds as if they can not catch it, your vet would know.  Do the makers have a phone number on their website ?

 I do not know what vaccine was used--- but my exotic vet told me not to let my ferrets around my puppies that had gotten distemper shots. However, I already had exposed them to puppies---but I would not do it again after that piece of info(3yr ago).

[rachelc]

Their vet has the Purevax ferret distemper vaccine but it is a live vaccine. I will definitely ask him when they go on Saturday. I am just really concerned now.

[Heather]

It is the common issue with the distemper vaccine for it to shed off for about a week after the vaccine is given. It's often called passive immunity. A perfect example is with my dog Mithrandir. He's never been vaccinated but when titered for distemper his immunity was positive for distemper (meaning it would respond) The only possible way he could have been tested was his best friend (dog) had been vaccinated for distemper the following day they had a play date. They roughed around played and did silly puppy things. His immunity responded to the shed virus which is not capable of being transmitted as it's a killed virus. The Purevax is a dead vaccine as is most now. There are a couple of dog vaccines that use live (rarely) but it's been stated to not use live viruses on ferrets as they're actually the animals that vaccines are tested on
ciao

[rachelc]

When I read on Merials website, it says it's a live vaccine, I think. That's why I was concerned. I thought they used a killed virus but according to their website, they don't. 😕 It says: Purevax Ferret Distemper Distemper Vaccine Live Canarypox Vector DV-Ferret
Does that mean it's a live vaccine?

[LindaM]

"Description:
PUREVAX® Ferret Distemper is a lyophilized vaccine of a recombinant canarypox vector expressing the HA and F glycoproteins of canine distemper virus. Safety and immunogenicity of this product have been demonstrated by vaccination and challenge tests in susceptible ferrets."


They are using recombinant technology. So they are using an infective fragment from a pathogen, Distemper in this case, combined with a nonpathogenic vector virus, Canarypox, and this allows the vector organism to integrate the immunogenic DNA fragment into its own genetic code. This creates a hybrid bacterium/virus which is the used to create the vaccine and when injected into the animal it will release specific antigenic proteins which will trigger the desired immune response. It is considered safe because neither the recombinant DNA nor the vector organism is capable of replicating or inducing disease.

Recombinant vaccines are considered to be much safer than modified-live or killed vaccines.

[rachelc]

All of that just went right over my head!! LOL!

[LindaM]

I'm sorry, hmm, let's see.. maybe this link will help explain it.
www.genscript.com/recombinant-vaccine.html

Or I suppose you can look at it this way, they create a synthetic/hybrid virus which will still trigger the correct immune response from the body, but it cannot actually induce the disease or infect others the way the actual disease would have. (Heck, I hope I worded that right..)