Ask The Vet

Plan Ahead When Using MLVs

After a modified live vaccine (MLV) is mixed it should be protected from light and heat, and used within an hour.
After a modified live vaccine (MLV) is mixed it should be protected from light and heat, and used within an hour.


By Dr. Ken McMillan
DTN/The Progressive Farmer Contributing Editor

Question: Can you tell me what the shelf life of a modified live vaccine is after you open and mix it?

Answer: This is a great question and there is a lot of misinformation about this. What I am about to say may shock many of you.

Modified live vaccines (MLVs) should be used within an hour or less of being mixed if the outside temperature is 85°F or warmer. In cases where the vaccine, syringe or tubing leading to a dosing syringe is exposed to sunlight and heat, the time is less than an hour.

It is important that the vaccine be protected from light and kept cool after it is mixed. I mix only one bottle at a time. Some people will cut a hole in a Styrofoam cooler to store a multidose syringe between injections. With automatic draw-off syringes, the vaccine bottle can be stored in a "koozie" with an ice pack.

And please, do not "save" MLVs.

Copyright 2013 DTN/The Progressive Farmer. All rights reserved.

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