The evolution of very virulent (vv) infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) has led to significant economic losses in many poultry-producing areas. Despite vigorous vaccination strategies, IBDV has been difficult to control. The protective efficacy of IBDV vaccines is traditionally evaluated in specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens. But under field conditions, residual maternal antibody (mAb) levels may interfere with vaccine efficacy. In this study, commercial broilers with various levels of maternally derived antibodies were vaccinated with IBDV vaccines of different virulence (vaccines 1-3, intermediate; vaccine 4, intermediate plus). At an average maternal virus-neutralizing antibody (mAb) level of log2 10.8 (range 7.6-11.6) at day of vaccination, only the intermediate plus vaccine induced IBDV antibodies after 18 days, while the other intermediate vaccines did not. At average mAb levels of log2 6.7 (range 5.6-8.6) at day of vaccination, all vaccines induced circulating antibodies, although the onset of antibody production differed significantly between strains (P < 0.05). While the intermediate plus vaccine induced enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay antibody levels already at 14 days postvaccination (PV), the intermediate vaccines induced significant antibody levels 28 (vaccines 1, 2) and 35 (vaccine 3) days PV. The time of IBDV antibody induction correlated with the onset of bursa lesions. The severity of lesions was comparable between vaccines 1, 3, and 4 (lesion score 4), while vaccine 2 induce only mild lesions of score 1 in 23% of the tested birds. Despite the induction of antibodies, none of the tested vaccines fully protected against challenge with vvIBDV. All challenged birds had either significantly higher bursal lesion scores or a higher IBDV antigen load in the bursa or sometimes both in comparison with nonchallenged birds (P < 0.05). Our study demonstrates that the evaluation of IBDV-vaccine efficacy is difficult in commercial broilers. For the first time, it was shown that the onset of bursa lesions and recovery of IBDV-vaccinated broilers is delayed in the presence of mAb in comparison with SPF chickens but not suppressed as previously assumed. At the time of challenge, vaccinated birds may still have significant bursa lesions and may lack target cells for IBDV-challenge virus. To be able to evaluate vaccine efficacy in commercial broilers, parameters such as intrabursal IBDV-antigen load should also be considered in conjunction with bursa lesion scores.

One-day-old specific pathogen free White Leghorn chicks were vaccinated with live avian pneumovirus (APV) vaccine, live Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccine or both. At intervals up to 28 days after vaccination, distribution of the virus in the tissues was studied, together with humoral and mucosal antibody responses in lachrymal fluid and tracheal washes. APV vaccine was detected for almost twice as long in the dual vaccinates as in the single vaccinates. Higher numbers of isolations of ND virus vaccine were obtained from the dual rather than the single vaccinates at 7 days post-vaccination but the reverse occurred at 14 days. APV serum antibodies were significantly lower in the dual rather than the single vaccinates. However, there were similar levels of local APV-specific IgA in the lachrymal fluids of both single and dual APV vaccinates. NDV serum antibody titres in the dual vaccinates were significantly higher than in the singly NDVvaccinated chickens. It appears that simultaneous vaccination of chicks with live APV and NDV vaccines causes temporary suppression of APV vaccine proliferation and reduces humoral antibody responses to it, although the antibody response to NDV is enhanced.

Comparison of blood and feather pulp (FP) samples for the diagnosis of Marek's disease (MD) and for monitoring Marek's diseases vaccination in chickens (serotypes 2 and 3 vaccines) by real time-PCR was evaluated. For diagnosis of MD, quantification of serotype 1 Marek's disease virus (MDV) DNA load was evaluated in 21 chickens suffering from MD. For each chicken, samples of blood and FP were collected and MDV DNA load was quantified. Solid tumors are the sample of choice for MD diagnosis by real time-PCR and, hence, 14 solid tumors were included in the study as positive controls. Load of MDV DNA in FP was equivalent to that detected in solid tumors (threshold cycle [Ct] ratio above 1.7). MDV DNA load in blood samples was lower than in solid tumors and FP samples. Nonetheless, there was a statistically significant correlation of the results obtained from FP and blood (r = 0.92). Results of the Pearson correlation test showed that Ct ratio values of 1.7 in FP correspond to Ct ratio values of 1.2 in peripheral blood. For monitoring vaccines, serotypes 2 and 3 MDV DNA load was evaluated in blood and FP samples of vaccinated chickens. Serotype 2 MDV DNA load was evaluated in samples of blood and FP from 34 chickens vaccinated with SB-1 strain. Serotype 3 MDV DNA load was evaluated in blood and FP samples from 53 chickens vaccinated with HVT strain. For both serotypes, frequency of positive samples and load of vaccine DNA was higher in FP than in blood samples. There was not a statistically significant correlation between the load of SB-1 DNA (r = 0.17) or HVT DNA (r = -0.04) in FP and blood. Our results show that the load of serotypes 1, 2, and 3 DNA is higher in FP than in blood. Diagnosis of MD could be done using both FP and blood samples. Monitoring of MD vaccination by real time-PCR required the use of FP samples. There were a high percentage of false negative samples when using blood to detect serotypes 2 and 3 MDV by real time-PCR.

This paper describes two experiments. In each experiment, 1-day-old specific pathogen free chicks were divided into three groups. In Experiment 1*[avian metapneumo virus (aMPV) challenge]*one group served as unvaccinated controls; the second group was vaccinated with live aMPV (subtype B) vaccine only, and the third group received the aMPV vaccine in combination with live Newcastle disease virus (NDV) vaccine (VG/GA strain). Oropharyngeal swabs, tissues and blood samples were collected before and after challenge with a virulent subtype aMPV at 21 days post vaccination. Chicks were monitored for postchallenge clinical signs. Swabs and tissues were examined for the detection of challenge aMPV by virus isolation and by reverse-transcriptase polymerase-chain reaction. Sera were assayed for antibodies against aMPV and NDV. The single and combined vaccinated chicks were all protected against clinical signs and no challenge virus was isolated from either of the vaccinated-challenged groups. In Experiment 2 (NDV challenge), as in Experiment 1, chicks were divided into three groups where one group remained as unvaccinated control and the other two groups were vaccinated as above, except that the second group received live NDV vaccine only, instead of aMPV. At 21 days post vaccination, 15 chicks from each of the three groups were removed to a different site and challenged with a virulent NDV (Texas GB strain). Reisolation of the challenge virus was not attempted. All chicks in both NDV-vaccinated challenged groups were protected against clinical signs and mortality. These results show that, based on parameters monitored for the respective challenge virus, simultaneous application of live aMPV and NDV vaccines did not affect the efficacy of either vaccine.

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Marek's disease virus (MDV) is a herpesvirus that induces lymphomas and immunosuppression in chickens. MDV-induced immunosuppression (MDV-IS) is divided into two phases: early-MDV-IS occurring mainly in chickens lacking maternal antibodies (MAb) against MDV and associated with lymphoid organ atrophy; and late-MDV-IS occurring once MDV enters latency and during tumour development. Our objectives were to document the impact of late-MDV-IS on commercial poultry (meat-type chickens bearing MAb against MDV and that were vaccinated or unvaccinated against MD) and to optimize a model to study late-MDV-IS under laboratory conditions. The impact of late-MDV-IS was evaluated by assessing the effect of early infection (day of age) with a very virulent plus MDV (vv+MDV) on the efficacy of chicken-embryo-origin (CEO) infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) virus vaccine against ILT challenge. The CEO ILT vaccine was administered in water at 14 days of age and ILT virus (ILTV) challenge was done intratracheally at 30 days of age. Development of ILT was monitored by daily evaluation of clinical signs, development of gross and histological lesions in trachea, and quantification of ILTV transcripts in trachea. Infection with vv+MDV strain 648A resulted in total abrogation of protection conferred by the CEO vaccine against ILTV challenge even in chickens vaccinated at 1 day of age with either HVT, HVT+SB-1, or CVI988. Chickens exposed to vv+MDV prior to vaccination with CEO ILTV vaccine had similar (P < 0.05) clinical scores, gross lesions, histopathologic lesion scores, and load of ILTV transcripts in trachea after ILTV challenge, as chickens that were not vaccinated with CEO ILTV vaccine.