Global animal health and pharmaceutical company Pfizer unveiled developments in a new vaccine to combat Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD) that can be delivered to the embryo in the egg.

The vaccine, which is injected into the egg through the Inovoject system, can treat embryo chicks in the egg providing an immunity to IBD.

The vaccine avoids conflict with maternal antibodies by delaying release until those antibodies are no longer effective.

And as it is present in the chick at hatching it has a head start on the infection before it can take hold.

The vaccine, Bursplex, is administered to the chick in the egg in day 18.

The vaccine can also be mixed into a cocktail with other vaccines, such as Inovocox against Coccidiosis, that can be administered in ovo.

"Inovocox is revolutionary. It is the first in ovo application for a coccidiosis vaccine," said Dr Don Waldrip from Pfizer.

The new vaccines and the development on the in ovo technology follows Pfizer's acquisition of the company Embrex in 2007.