Location: Exotic & Emerging Avian Viral Diseases Research
Project Number: 6040-32000-081-001-T
Project Type: Trust Fund Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Oct 1, 2016
End Date: Sep 30, 2022
Objective:
To develop and evaluate poultry vaccines for low and high pathogenicity avian influenza. 1) update the avian influenza hemagglutinin inserts in recombinant poultry vaccines, 2) design efficacy studies and test new vaccines for protection against avian influenza viruses, 3) develop vaccination protocols for commercial poultry to maximize avian influenza vaccine effectiveness.
Approach:
Merial has constructed vector based avian influenza (AI) vaccine candidates expressing various AI hemagglutinin geneinserts. These recombinant vaccines will be tested for efficacy in both high and low pathogenicity AI poultry challenge models with measurement of protection being prevention of illness and death, increasing resistance to infection, reduction in number of infected SPF birds and a decrease in the amount of challenge virus shed from respiratory and alimentary tracts. AI vaccines will also be tested in commercial (broiler type) birds.
