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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Animal Disease Center » Virus and Prion Research » Research » Research Project #449506
Research Project: Evaluating the Efficacy of a Conditionally Approved H5N1 Vaccine in Lactating Dairy Cattle Through Controlled Challenge Studies

Location: Virus and Prion Research

Project Number: 5030-32000-231-124-A
Project Type: Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Aug 1, 2026
End Date: Aug 31, 2027

Objective:
Conduct a rigorous challenge study to evaluate the efficacy of a conditionally licensed vaccine against two contemporary highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b virus isolates in dairy cattle.

Approach:
This study will quantify the conditionally licensed H5N1 vaccine's protective efficacy against clinical disease and production losses following highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 challenge. Additionally, it will determine the vaccine's impact on reducing or eliminating viral shedding, and assess the breadth of vaccine-induced cross-protective immunity.