Controlled Clinical Evaluation of Veterinary Vaccines

Dear Colleagues,

Infectious diseases in animals have been intertwined throughout human history, thanks to over 10 millennia of domestication and the development of farming societies. During these periods, microbial pathogens have constituted a constant threat to animal and human health and welfare.      

From the cowpox blister scratched into the skin of James Phipps by Jenner to the controlled efficacy study publically performed by Louis Pasteur in Pouilly-le-Fort, infectious diseases in farm animals were the cradle of modern vaccinology. To date, vaccines are widely used to control many infectious diseases of veterinary importance. However, despite their importance, there is a lack of information about their clinical efficacy and effectiveness and a lack of field data regarding their adverse effects in wild, companion and farm animals. Moreover, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the immune response to vaccine targets, and their association with protection and safety, is required.

We welcome the submission of manuscripts describing the results of studies designed to collect such information. Such data can be collected in challenge studies, clinically controlled efficacy field studies, outbreak investigations or controlled field observational studies. The inclusion of laboratory-derived information on the immune response to these vaccines is encouraged. However, such studies should not be limited only to such outcomes and should include an evaluation of the clinical efficacy or effectiveness and/or controlled clinical evaluation of adverse effects caused by the vaccine.  Studies published in this Special Issue can include original articles as well as meta-analyses and critical reviews. The manuscripts should appropriately describe well-designed studies analyzed using rigorous statistical methods. We expect the information gathered in this Special Issue to support the decision making of all stakeholders interested in the control of veterinary infectious diseases. 

Prof. Dr. Eyal Klement
Prof. Nahum Shpigel
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.