Animal vaccines and antimicrobial resistance: an underutilized tool

Vaccination has been shown to be effective in the prevention, control and even eradication of animal diseases for more than a century. The use of vaccines in animals can also reduce, or totally prevent, the need to use antibiotics or other antimicrobial agents such as antiparasitic or antivirals. Furthermore, vaccination in animals can also enhance public health, especially when used against zoonotic diseases. However, availability and access to animal vaccines are not always granted, owing to different challenges such as safety or efficacy issues, unfit ways of administration or logistic constraints, high regulatory restrictions in low-incentivized markets, etc. All these lead to a lack of trust, cumbersomeness in the regulatory approval process of vaccines and implementation of vaccination campaigns, and limited commercial interest. Research and development efforts in the field remain significantly underfunded, and the number of studies analysing the cost-effectiveness of vaccination in animals is scarce. In the context of the global and health threat posed by antimicrobial resistance, innovative and cross-sectoral collaborative actions are needed to change the current paradigm. These include the consideration of new financial models based on cost-benefit analysis across sectors, as well as the development of an environment that incentivizes public-private partnerships. This article is part of the Royal Society Science+ meeting issue 'Vaccines and antimicrobial resistance: from science to policy'.