A serological survey for the detection of antibodies to Mycoplasma bovis was conducted in Adamawa State, Nigeria during the year 2012. A total of 400 serum samples were collected from three local government areas (LGA) namely Yola (n=140), Mubi (n=130) and Ganye (n=130), and the samples were examined for the presence of M. bovis antibodies using BIO-X M. bovis antibody ELISA Kit. The overall seroprevalence of M. bovis was recorded as 19.5% (n=78/400). The highest seroprevalence was recorded in Ganye LGA (27.7%; n=36/130), followed by Yola LGA (20.0%; n=28/140) and Mubi LGA (10.8%; n=14/130). The cattle aging <1-year had the highest prevalence (25.8%), followed by 4-year-old cattle (22.4%). Based on sex distribution, 20.4% of the cows and 17.4% of the bulls were seropositive to M. bovis. Breed susceptibility to M. bovis infection showed that White Fulani had the highest prevalence (21.8%), and Sokoto Gudali had the lowest (11.9%). No statistical significant association was found between M. bovis infection and age, sex and breed of the cattle. In conclusion, the above findings are indicative for the presence of M. bovis in the study area.

This research work was conducted to investigate the effects of age, sex and breed on the induction of immune response against experimentally prepared inactivated trivalent (type O, A, and Asia-1) FMD vaccine. Twenty six cattle were divided into four test groups (Group A, B, C, and D; 5 cattle in each group) and one control group (n=6) based on breed (local and cross), age (≤12 months and >12 months), and sex (male and female). Test cattle were vaccinated with the experimentally prepared trivalent FMD vaccine. Pre- and post vaccinated sera from the vaccinated cattle were collected upto 63 days, and the sera were tested using liquid phase blocking enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (LPBE) that was specific for FMD serotypes O, A, and Asia-1. Antibody titers of all the pre-vaccinated serum samples were found to be under protection level. The females were found to be more protected (90%; n=9/10) as compared to males (70%; n=7/10). The titers obtained were statistically analyzed using t–test to observe the effects of age, breed and sex. It was observed that the mean values of antibody titer in cattle aging >12 months against O, A, and Asia-1 serotypes were significant (P<0.05) at 21, 49 and 63 days as compared to the values obtained from the cattle aging ≤12 months. In conclusion, the local female cattle aging >12 months showed better immune response towards trivalent FMD vaccine.