Contraception and immunocastration vaccines. Use in veterinary medicine

Abstract

Globally, development and application of vaccines to control fertility in animals is growing relentlessly. Their productive benefits to animal management and welfare are corroborated, while improvement in public perception on their positive impact. This paper reviews current developments in this area, particularly, immunocastration vaccines, upon assessment of application results in recent years. Main targets of these vaccines are proteins of the zona pellucida, the structural proteins of spermatozoa as well as the sexual hormones. Various GnRH-based vaccines with proven effectiveness and efficiency for immunocastration of males and fertility control in females are commercially available today. However, issues like a reduction in the number of immunizations, achieving of increased immunogenicity, and the development new formulations to facilitate the application and release of vaccines in the wide diversity of the animal habitats and in the different conditions of animal husbandry, should be addressed. Fertility control relied on methods that guarantee productive efficiency and animal welfare is an incessant need of modern veterinary medicine practice.