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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Athens, Georgia » U.S. National Poultry Research Center » Exotic & Emerging Avian Viral Diseases Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #312404
Title: Presence of infectious bursal disease virus in chicken meat and effect of vaccination in decreasing the virus titers

Author
item BERTRAN, KATERI - Consultant
item SA E SILVA, MARIANA - Former ARS Employee
item Moresco, Kira
item Swayne, David

Submitted to: American Association of Avian Pathologists
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/1/2015
Publication Date: 7/11/2015
Citation: Bertran, K., Sa E Silva, M., Moresco, K.A., Swayne, D.E. 2015. Presence of infectious bursal disease virus in chicken meat and effect of vaccination in decreasing the virus titers [abstract]. In: Convention Notes of the American Veterinary Medical Association Annual Meeting, July 11-14, 2015, Boston, Massachusetts. CDROM.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) causes economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide and impacts chicken meat importation in countries with self-declared freedom. This study sought to determine the presence of IBDV in chicken meat and the role of vaccination as a mitigation strategy. In Experiment 1, broiler-type specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens were challenged with STC (serotype 1, classical), Indiana (serotype 1, variant), rA (serotype 1, very virulent [vvIBDV]), and Ohio (serotype 2, avirulent). No clinical signs or mortality were observed in any group but STC group, where 2 out of 18 birds died (10 and 12 days post-challenge). Infection was confirmed by virus isolation (VI) from target tissues (bursa and thymus) of all birds. Virus was isolated from breast and/or thigh meat of STC- and vvIBDV-infected chickens. In Experiment 2, 1 day-of-age (doa) maternal immunopositive broiler-type SPF chickens were either vaccinated with HVT-IBDV recombinant vaccine (Vaxxitek®, Merial) or not vaccinated, and maternal immunonegative chickens were sham-vaccinated. All birds were challenged at 21 doa with variant Indiana or vvIBDV. Maternal immunopositive chickens challenged with vvIBDV, either vaccinated or not, had statistically significant lower virus levels in the meat and in target tissues compared to sham-vaccinated chickens. No virus was detected in meat from any of the groups challenged with variant Indiana. This study indicates that only vvIBDV rA strain can be found in meat at low levels, and that the vaccination protocol currently used in the U.S.A. effectively decreases the already low presence of virus in chicken meat.