Texas Agri-Life Research’s most recent batch of soremouth vaccine produced at the Sonora Experiment Station will not be released because it did not pass a safety test performed on guinea pigs, according to research director Dr. John Walker of the San Angelo Agri-Life facility. Dr. Walker made the announcement at the Texas Sheep and Goat Raisers Association’s semi-annual meeting Feb. 16 in Fort Stockton, Texas.
Walker recommended that sheep and goat ranchers needing vaccine use one of the commercially sold vaccines such as the one offered by Colorado Serum.

Update: February 22 @ 11:30 a.m.

Dr. Charles “Butch” Taylor with Texas AgriLife Extension and Research, Sonora Experiment Station, informed me that the ONLY other place to buy soremouth vaccine would be Colorado Serum (link above). He said the batch of serum in question was put on hold by the USDA after subcutaneous injections in guinea pigs to test the vaccine resulted in two of the rodents dying. But the vaccine passed lamb tests with flying colors, he said. And in treating lambs or goats the vaccine is applied though a scratch in the skin, not by injection. Dr. Taylor is hopeful that USDA will allow an exception in this case and let the Experiment Station go ahead and sell to sheep and goat producers.

Dr. Taylor added that a new batch of soremouth vaccine would not likely be available until the fall of this year, though if the current batch were allowed by the USDA, it could be sold right away.