Protection of the young stock’s health is one of the most urgent problems of animal breeding in Ukraine. In Ukrainian farms up to 15% of all calves die during the first 8 weeks of life. This happens due to their low resistance level resulting from insufficient and inadequate feeding, poor conditions of cows’ maintenance during pregnancy that lead to disorders of embryonic development as well as reduction of immune competent cells and immunoglobulines.

The animal immune system is the first one to respond to the influence of various biotic and abiotic factors. First and foremost, it is responsible for removal of antigens out of the body. One of the mechanisms of antigen removal is the formation of immune complex which describes the humoral immune response to infection development and largely determines the intensity of the antigen load on the immune system. Antigen load is necessary for the correct functioning of the body and its immune system.

The use of immune stimulating drugs in animal vaccination increases the intensity of specific immunity to infectious diseases exciters. A situation around the use of adjuvants in Ukraine is very disturbing since they are not effective in terms of animal immune deficiency especially in young animals with the immune suppression syndrome. Therefore the use of immune stimulators by early age calves is an important measure of increasing resistance providing rapid formation of a complete immune response.

Presently immunomodulatory substances are in a rich supply on the veterinary drugs market. An overwhelming majority of them is of a chemical nature and frequently exerts a suppressing effect on immune system in this case or the other. Considering this fact, a bee-glue was selected as a vaccine adjuvant while a drug based on organic selenium and iron was used as immune system stimulator.

The article describes the results of researching calves blood humoral immunity indicators during a specific prevention of pneumococcal infection along with the use of inactivated vaccine against streptococcal and staphylococcal infections; self-vaccination made of local strain of the Streptococcus pneumoniae pathogen; self-vaccination with the addition of immune stimulating drug containing organic selenium - seleferum.

The study was conducted on 16 two-month calves of Ukrainian black and white breed that were divided into 4 groups (1 control and 3 experimental). The animals of the first experimental group were injected an inactivated vaccine against streptococcal and staphylococcal infections produced by JSC “NDP” Veterinary Medicine”, the city of Kharkiv. Experimental animals of the second group were injected the vaccine made from the local strain of the Streptococcus pneumoniae pathogen with the bee-glue as adjuvant. The third experimental group of animals was injected the vaccine with the addition of seleferum, the immune stimulating drug. Vaccines were injected intramuscularly two times at an interval of 14 days at a dose of 3 ml for the first injection and 5 ml for the second one. Blood samples were taken from the jugular vein 7, 14, 21, 45, and 60 days after vaccination.

Blood serum immunoglobulines were determined with the aid of a radial immune diffusion method by Manchini.

Conducted studies found that calves vaccinated with inactivated vaccine against streptococcal and staphylococcal infections, experienced a credible increase of IgA level at the 45^th and 60^th day after vaccination from 1.65 to 1.92 and 1.90 g/L respectively. The increase of IgM levels is observed starting from the 14^th day after vaccination from 0.90 to 1.04 g/L at the 45^th day after vaccination. IgG level reaches its high from 13.82 to 14.42 g/L at the 14^th day after vaccination.

Calves vaccinated with autovaccine made from local strain of Streptococcus pneumoniae, experienced the credible increase of IgA level during all study span from 1.65 to 1.92 g/L at 45^th and 60^th day after vaccination. The level of IgM increases from 0.90 to 1.26 g/L at the 45th day after vaccination. The level of IgG hits its maximum at 21^st, 45^th and 60^th day after vaccination with the meanings of 14.72, 16.59 and 17.74 g/L respectively compared with the control group.

The level of IgG in calves vaccinated with inactivated vaccine containing immune stimulating drug seleferum, increases during all the research period from 13.82 to 18.35 g/L, reaching credible changes at the 45^th and 60^th day after vaccination. A credible increase in the level of IgA from 1.65 to 1.94 g/L and IgM from 0.90 to 1.03 g/L was detected at the 60^th day after vaccination.

The obtained results show that the inactivated vaccine against streptococcal and staphylococcal infections causes an increase in the level of studied immunoglobulines at different periods after vaccination, namely IgA increases at the 45^th and 60^th day, IgM increases at the 21^st and 45^th day and IgG increases at the 14^th and 21^st day.

Calves vaccinated with autovaccine of Streptococcus pneumoniae strain experienced the increase in the level of IgA, IgM and IgG from the 21^st to 60^th day after vaccination. Autovaccine with immune stimulating drug seleferum credibly increases the level of all investigated immunoglobulines at the 60^th day after vaccination.

Key words: pneumococcal infection, calves, immunoreactivity, blood, blood serum, vaccination, immunoglobulines.