Israeli Veterinarian "accidentally" Discovers New Vaccine to Protect Dogs

Aimee Herd : Jan 21, 2013
Abigail Klein Leichman – Israel21c.org

"The vaccine developed by Profs. Harrus and Baneth is the first vaccine to prove effective against this disease."

Dr. Shimon Harrus, Dean of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Koret School of Veterinary Medicine in Rehovot, wasn't trying to come up with the "world's first vaccine against a sometimes fatal tick-borne disease known as CME (canine monocytic ehrlichiosis).

However, discover it he did, and now it may soon be available for your dog.

"I was using bacteria I cultured in my lab, and all of a sudden I realized the two dogs in our experiment did not become sick, and the ticks I put on the dogs did not become infected," Harrus explained to ISRAEL21c. "Then we performed a big study and we realized something important was going on." (Image via Shutterstock.com)

Along with his lab partner, Dr. Gad Baneth, Harrus' vaccine was outlined in a recent issue of the journal, Vaccine.

According to the Harrus, CME is "prevalent worldwide" and is only remotely preventable through tick control. The vaccine is the very first that has proven to be effective in preventing the disease.