Vitamin Compatibility with the Marek’s Disease Vaccine

Abstract

In ovo injection of the Marek’s disease (MD) vaccine (MDV) has been widely practiced in commercial US hatcheries. However, the MDV is very sensitive and may not be compatible with some nutrients when administered together by in ovo injection. When individually administered by in ovo injection, L-Ascorbic acid (L-AA) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3) have previously exhibited very promising results on the post-hatch physiological and immunological characteristics of broilers subjected to stressful commercial conditions. However, the compatibility of the MDV with these vitamins has not been previously explored. Their compatibility must first be established before their combined administration by in ovo injection can be considered. Therefore, the objective in this study was to determine the compatibility of the MDV with various levels of 25OHD3 or L-AA. The treatments employed were MDV-alone, MDV in combination with 0.6 (low) or 2.4 (high) μg doses of 25OHD3, or MDV in combination with 1.2 (low) or 12 (high) mg doses of L-AA. The live and dead ratio of primary chick embryo fibroblast cells infected by the MD virus (CEF-MDV) in each treatment was determined every 30 min for 2 h. The L-AA at both the low and high doses resulted in a 70% death of CEF-MDV within 1 h, but either dose of the 25OHD3 exhibited only an approximate 5% lower CEF-MDV survival as compared to those in the MDV-alone treatment. Therefore, it is suggested that the two designated doses of 25OHD3 have the potential to be effectively combined with the MDV for subsequent administration by in ovo injection.

Effects of the Marek’s Disease Vaccine on the Performance, Meat Yield, and Incidence of Woody Breast Myopathy in Ross 708 Broilers When Administered Alone or in Conjunction with In ovo and Dietary Supplemental 25-Hydroxycholecalciferol

“…The in ovo injection treatments were (1) non-injected; (2) commercial MDV alone; or MDVs that contained (3) 1.2 µg of 25OHD 3 (MDV + 25OHD 3 -1.2) or (4) 2.4 µg of 25OHD 3 (MDV + 25OHD 3 -2.4). The form and source of 25OHD 3 used in this study (ROVIMIX ® HY-D ® 1.25%; DSM Nutritional Products, Inc., Parsippany, NJ, USA) was the same as that used by Fatemi et al [47,48]. All in ovo injection solutions were also prepared and injected according to the procedures of Fatemi et al [47,48].…”

“…The form and source of 25OHD 3 used in this study (ROVIMIX ® HY-D ® 1.25%; DSM Nutritional Products, Inc., Parsippany, NJ, USA) was the same as that used by Fatemi et al [47,48]. All in ovo injection solutions were also prepared and injected according to the procedures of Fatemi et al [47,48]. In addition, one live embryonated egg from each of the 4 treatment groups on each of the 12 incubator tray levels (48 total eggs) was selected for embryo staging analysis including an embryo development stage score (ES) and site of injection in accordance to the method described by Fatemi et al [48].…”

“…More recently, the amniotic in ovo injection of 2.4 µg of 25OHD 3 has been shown to increase the breast and leg meat yield [46], decrease the inflammatory reaction [23], and to improve the posthatch live performance [46], small intestine morphology [23], and expression of genes associated with D 3 activity [24] in Ross 708 broilers subjected to a coccidiosis infection. Furthermore, Fatemi et al [47] demonstrated that low (0.6 µg) and high (2.4 µg) doses of 25OHD 3 have negligible negative effects on MDV cell survival. Additionally, the 1.2 and 2.4 µg doses of 25OHD 3 in combination with MDV have been observed to increase hatchling BW and the expression of genes linked to immunity and vitamin D activity [48].…”