Vaccination and Vaccine Technology Workshop in Marrakech

Internationally recognised experts presented the latest information on vaccine technology at a one-day workshop, organised by Merial, prior to the 2009 World Veterinary Poultry Association (WVPA) Congress in Morocco, writes Jackie Linden, editor of ThePoultrySite.
calendar icon 10 March 2010
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In his introduction, Dr Michel Bublot (R&D Merial) explained that the company was that day celebrating 25 years of vector vaccine development. He went on to describe how Trovac-AIV H5, a vectored vaccine against fowl pox and avian flu, has been used successfully to control low pathogenic avian flu in Mexico, and the development of Vaxxitek HVT+IBD.

Dr Thierry Van den Berg (Veterinary & Agrochemical Research Centre, Belgium) emphasised the importance of developing new types of vaccines to improve animal health. He outlined the advantages of in-ovo vaccination, saying that it takes advantages of a window of opportunity around day 18 of incubation, when the immune system is sufficiently developed, yet maternal antibodies are not fully absorbed.

From the University of Delaware in the US, Dr Robin Morgan described three different types of recombinant vaccines using the Marek's disease virus. She said that although selected rHVT using heterologous vaccines looked promising, they do not out-perform conventional Marek's disease vaccines. She added that various 'add-ins' may be used to improve the immune response, such as cytokines and microRNAs.

Speaking about the possibility to develop a vaccine against highly pathogenic avian influenza, Dr David Swayne (Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, Athens, USA) explained that the changing nature of the virus has so far presented a great challenge. He described the 'prime boost technique', which offers the advantages of a vectored vaccine – which can be administered in the hatchery and without interference from maternal antibodies – combined with the strong boost of an inactivated vaccine on the farm.

(left to right): Dr Michel Bublot and Dr Thierry Van den Berg


(left to right): Dr Robin Morgan and Dr David Swayne

Further Reading

- You can view other reports from events organised by Merial at the WVPA Congress 2009 by clicking here.


Further Reading

- Find out more information on infectious bursal disease (IBD) by clicking here.


February 2010
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