Questions & Answers

Q. What is the shelf life of the product? Show Answer | Hide Answer

A. Expiration is 3 years from initiation of the potency test.

Q. What is the IgG content of these products? Show Answer | Hide Answer

A. ~30g/dose for both the I.V. and Oral

Q. Are the Seramune Equine IgG products frozen? Show Answer | Hide Answer

A. No! Both products are stored refrigerated.

Q. How should Seramune Equine IgG be used? Show Answer | Hide Answer

A. Seramune Equine IgG has been developed to be used prophylactically in all foals whether nursing normally or with probable FPT.

Q. Does the foal's weight matter? Show Answer | Hide Answer

A. All efficacy studies for Seramune were performed on "standard" sized foals weighing approximately 90 pounds. Mathematical calculations should be used for minis and draft foals.

Q. Is routine treatment of all foals cost-effective? Show Answer | Hide Answer

A. Seramune is a low-cost, effective management tool to improve passive immunity overall. Treating foals with FPT may require hospitalization and costs can exceed $1500 per foal. Fifteen to twenty foals can be protected for the treatment cost for each foal treated for the diseases resulting from FPT.

Q. After oral administration of Seramune, test results indicated little or no increase in lgG concentrations. Why? Show Answer | Hide Answer

A. Reasons for this can include foals which may have had premature gut closure or the high variability in the ability to absorb immunoglobins such as observed in those foals from fescue mares.

Q. Why is an immediate oral dose important? Show Answer | Hide Answer

A. Once a foal is born, it will immediately begin to nuzzle everything in an attempt to begin nursing. As it is doing this, there is the high probability of bringing in all sorts of pathogens. By getting that first dose of Seramune Oral into the foal, you are helping to prevent those pathogens from taking hold.

For a printable PDF of all the questions and answers, click here. If you have any questions not listed here, please contact us.

 Technical Information

Failure of Passive Transfer
Foals are born without a developed immune defense system. Antibodies necessary to fight infection may be acquired through the mother's colostrum. Failure of Passive Transfer (FPT) is the clinical condition where the foal does not receive protective levels of immunoglobulins from colostrum (first milk), and is considered at risk. FPT leaves the foal vulnerable to a host of adverse conditions such as gastrointestinal distress and pneumonia. Seramune uses breakthrough biotechnology to produce a sterile, cost-effective therapy for immune disorders that is reliable, safe, and easy to use.

IgG Testing
Testing foals prior to twelve hours of life can give false results (from an already variable test) since the plasma volume in the foal can be 30% lower than at 12 hours and absorption may still be taking place at twelve hours. The gut begins to close to the absorption of colostrum immunoglobulins very rapidly. The first twelve hours of life is the critical time period for ingestion of antibodies. This is the optimum window of opportunity to influence passive immunity -- that is, when colostrum and Seramune Equine IgG oral absorption is most effective. Testing foals for IgG suspected of FPT would be optimal at 18-24 hours of age when blood/plasma volumes have leveled off.

Immunological Activity of Equine IgG
When immunoglobin is given orally, IgG and IgM are absorbed by the gut and pass into the bloodstream. Some of the IgA also passes into the bloodsream. Part of the IgA is used to coat exposed cells lining the gut. IgG and IgM neutralize harmful viruses and bacteria in the bloodstream and spaces surrounding cells. The IgA remaining in the gut cavity prevents adherence and replication of pathogens, thus preventing an outbreak of infection which the treated animal may be unable to prevent with only naturally acquired immunoglobins.

The USDA utilizes IgG as a measure of protective immunoglobins. However, there are signficant additional components in serum necessary to stimulate immune response and protect virulent challenge.




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