A novel equine influenza vaccine using a specialized second generation ISCOM-Matrix adjuvant has resulted in a product that is not only safe and effective, but also capable of closing the so-called “immunity gap,” reported researchers from Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health in The Netherlands.

In Europe, veterinarians traditionally administer a course of two vaccines four to six weeks apart in young horses, followed by a booster vaccination five or six months later. Antibody levels against equine influenza tend to decline between the second and third application in young horses. During this time period, referred to as the “immunity gap,” these young horses are not adequately protected against influenza