From:
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Conten ... &C=0&A=589 What is the Meaning of a Vaccine Titer?
A vaccine titer is a blood test that measures the antibody level a dog is carrying against a certain virus. There are two methods of measuring parvovirus antibody titer: hemagglutination inhibition and serum neutralization. The value refers to how diluted the dog’s serum (blood) must be for antibody to still be detectable. Based on work at Cornell University, the following titer levels are generally considered protective:
Hemaggluination inhibition titer of 1:80 or more
Serum neutralization titer of 1:20 or more
There is a great deal of controversy regarding whether or not a certain level of antibody can be considered tantamount to protection. Many veterinarians do not feel it is useful to run titers until this issue is resolved (i.e., there is more to protection than an antibody level; there is an entire immune system involved and there is no simple way to assess the entire immune system). Other veterinarians find it cost ineffective to recommend titers prior to vaccination (it costs a great deal more to run the titer than to simply give the vaccination. If the titer is adequate, the worst possible outcome is that the vaccine will be ineffective.) Other veterinarians question whether or not it is harmless to annually give vaccinations when there is already adequate immunity present. At this time there is no single answer to this issue and we recommend trusting your own veterinarian’s educated opinions regarding these issues.
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I can say words like undifferentiated gonads now!