2. Plan of Talk
Introduction
Live vaccines
– Live strains
– Administration
– Effect on respiratory tract
– Effect on egg production and quality
Inactivated vaccines
– Administration
– Effect on MG transmission through the egg
– Effects on respiratory disease
3. Plan of Talk
Introduction
Live vaccines
– Live strains
– Administration
– Effect on respiratory tract
– Effect on egg production and quality
Inactivated vaccines
– Administration
– Effect on MG transmission through the egg
– Effects on respiratory disease
4. Introduction
Vaccination is the preferred method of control to maintain
MG- and MS-free flocks.
Vaccination should be considered only in situations where:
1. Field exposure is inevitable, such as on multi-age sites.
2. There is a potential exposure of neighboring poultry.
5. Types of Vaccines
Two types of vaccines are available for the control of MG:
1. Live vaccines, contains mild to avirulent MG strains.
2. Inactivated oil-emulsion bacterins.
Although there is antigenic variability among MG strains, it is
thought that vaccination with a single strain is sufficient.
6. Characteristics of Ideal MG Vaccines
1. Living vaccines should not:
1. Cause disease in the vaccinated animal.
2. Be transmissible, either through the egg or horizontally to susceptible
flocks.
3. Cause disease in neighboring flocks.
2. Attenuated strains should not revert to virulent form.
3. A marker which readily distinguishes vaccine strain from field
strain is a useful characteristic.
4. Vaccine must be capable of stimulating solid lifelong
protection, preferably from a single dose.
7. Plan of Talk
Introduction
Live vaccines
– Live strains
– Administration
– Effect on respiratory tract
– Effect on egg production and quality
Inactivated vaccines
– Administration
– Effect on MG transmission through the egg
– Effects on respiratory disease
8. Live Vaccines
The objective is to infect the flock with a mild, immunogenic
MG strain at an age and time when little or no significant
damage occurs.
Such exposure results in resistance to challenge later in life.
9. Cont. …
The virulence of a M. gallisepticum strain and the ability to
stimulate a protective immune response are related
characteristics.
Completely avirulent strains do not appear to stimulate the
immune system.
10. Cont. …
Successfully vaccinated birds:
1. Are resistant to respiratory disease.
2. Are resistant to airsacculitis.
3. Are resistant to egg production drops caused by MG.
4. Reduced levels of egg transmission in breeders.
11. Plan of Talk
Introduction
Live vaccines
– Live strains
– Administration
– Effect on respiratory tract
– Effect on egg production and quality
Inactivated vaccines
– Administration
– Effect on MG transmission through the egg
– Effects on respiratory disease
12. Live Vaccines – F Strain
The F strain of MG has been the most commonly used vaccine
strain.
It is a naturally occurring strain of mild to moderate virulence
for chickens, but it is virulent for turkeys.
It ordinarily spreads slowly from bird to bird.
13. Cont. …
Hens vaccinated with F strain by eye drop while in lay
showed:
No signs of egg transmission.
F-strain was isolated from 8/352 (2.27%) eggs laid in a seven-week
period after aerosol vaccination.
Lateral transmission of F strain between vaccinated birds and
unvaccinated pen mates occurred readily in 4 weeks after
vaccination, but thereafter became progressively slower,
although it was still occurring as late as 27 weeks after
vaccination.
14. Cont. …
Vaccinated chickens are permanent carriers, so a single dose
is adequate.
Use of F strain vaccine in each replacement flock on a multi-
age site will eventually result in displacement of the field
strain with the vaccine strain.
15. Live vaccines – ts-11 & 6/85
Strains ts-11 and 6/85 are avirulent
Spread to unvaccinated birds does not occur or occurs very
poorly when birds are in very close contact.
16. Plan of Talk
Introduction
Live vaccines
– Live strains
– Administration
– Effect on respiratory tract
– Effect on egg production and quality
Inactivated vaccines
– Administration
– Effect on MG transmission through the egg
– Effects on respiratory disease
17. Live Vaccines Administration
Timing
Commercial pullets are usually vaccinated between 12-16
weeks of age.
In cases of probable early field exposure can be carried out in
birds as young as 2-4 weeks of age.
18. Live Vaccines Administration
Route – F strain
F strain vaccines can be administered through:
1. Drinking water.
2. Spray.
3. Eye drop.
Vaccination in the drinking water gave better results than
vaccination by spray.
A respiratory reaction should be expected at approximately 5 -
7 days after vaccination if aerosol administration is used.
It is desirable that birds are to be vaccinated at an age when
there is no reaction to other respiratory vaccines.
19. Live Vaccines Administration
Route – 6/85 and ts-11
Strain ts-11 should be administered by eye drop.
Strain 6/85 is given as a fine spray.
No post-vaccination reaction should be observed with 6/85 or
ts-11.
20. Live Vaccines Administration
Dosage
F strain:
10 log 5 CFU/dose is sufficient for eye drop administration of live
F strain vaccine.
ts-11 strain:
≥ 10 log 7.7 color changing units (CCU)/dose
6/85 strain:
10 log 7–8 CFU/dose
21. Plan of Talk
Introduction
Live vaccines
– Live strains
– Administration
– Effect on respiratory tract
– Effect on egg production and quality
Inactivated vaccines
– Administration
– Effect on MG transmission through the egg
– Effects on respiratory disease
22. Effects On The Respiratory Tract
F-Strain
Moderate to severe respiratory reactions - air sac lesions
F strain.
One-day-old broilers
Administered by aerosol
Combined NDV and IBV vaccines
Moderate to severe lesions
F strain
90% of birds
One-day-old chickens
23. Cont. …
little or no respiratory reaction is observed
F strain
Healthy chickens
Administered via upper respiratory tract
Respiratory signs and air sacculitis may result
F strain
Administered by aerosol or in the presence of other respiratory
disease agents, such as Newcastle disease or infectious bronchitis
virus.
24. Effects On The Respiratory Tract
6/85 Strain
Mild to moderate air sac lesions in 20% to 30% of birds.
Strain 6/85
Aerosol.
Chickens and turkeys
25. Effects On The Respiratory Tract
ts-11 Strain
No lesions
Strain ts-11
Air sac inoculation
Two-week old chickens
28-week-old layer hens
No lesions
Strain ts-11
Large doses into the thoracic air sacs
One-day-old chickens
26. Cont. …
No air sac lesions up to three weeks later
Day-old broilers.
Aerosol.
ts-11 in combination with IBV vaccine.
No respiratory signs
10 doses of ts-11
Eight-week-old chickens
Eye drop
Immediately following relocation by road transport, beak trimming
and fowl pox vaccination.
27. Cont. …
Transient mild respiratory signs and conjunctivitis
Field trial involving 11,000 birds,
ts-11 strain in combination with infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) virus
vaccine (strain ILTA20)
These were similar to signs observed in previous studies using ILTA20
alone (F. Gordon, unpublished findings).
28. Cont. …
Slight respiratory reactions
Strain ts-11
Three-week-old chickens
In combination with NDV/IBV vaccine
Vaccination with ts-11 has been shown not to interfere with
the efficacy of NDV vaccination.
29. Plan of Talk
Introduction
Live vaccines
– Live strains
– Administration
– Effect on respiratory tract
– Effect on egg production and quality
Inactivated vaccines
– Administration
– Effect on MG transmission through the egg
– Effects on respiratory disease
30. Effects on
Egg Production and Quality
Egg quality parameters were unaffected
F strain
45-week-old pullets
Branton et al. found that the lowered production could not be
attributed to any obvious effect on oviduct structure and function
Egg production
Group vaccinated with F strain produced significantly fewer eggs over
the same period.
31. Cont. …
Strain 6/85
There was no significant difference in the percentage of eggs laid
between vaccinated and unvaccinated birds up to peak production.
32. Cont. …
No significant difference egg production over the following 7
weeks
ts-11 strain
Layer hens at peak production
Inoculated directly into the abdominal air sacs
33. Plan of Talk
Introduction
Live vaccines
– Live strains
– Administration
– Effect on respiratory tract
– Effect on egg production and quality
Inactivated vaccines
– Administration
– Effect on MG transmission through the egg
– Effects on respiratory disease
34. Inactivated Vaccines
MG bacterins are prepared from a concentrated suspension of
whole cells that is emulsified into an oil adjuvant.
35. Cont. …
Bacterins are ordinarily used in commercial pullets to:
1. Provide protection against egg-production drops that occur
after MG exposure on multi-age layer sites.
2. Reduce the level of egg transmission in breeder pullets.
Use of bacterins in broilers is limited by the fact that birds
vaccinated before 1–2 weeks of age are not protected.
36. Cont. …
Although bacterins may provide protection against:
1. Respiratory signs
2. Airsacculitis
3. Egg production losses
But, vaccinated flocks are readily infected.
37. Cont. …
Antigen content: at harvest, the titer should be from 10 log 8
to 10 log 9 CFU/ml.
38. Plan of Talk
Introduction
Live vaccines
– Live strains
– Administration
– Effect on respiratory tract
– Effect on egg production and quality
Inactivated vaccines
– Administration
– Effect on MG transmission through the egg
– Effects on respiratory disease
39. Inactivated Vaccines
Site of Injection
The site of injection is important.
Oil emulsion bacterins are administered either by SC or IM
injection.
40. Subcutaneous Injection
Chickens vaccinated subcutaneously; at the base of the skull
Developed a transient oedema around the eyes
Chickens vaccinated subcutaneously; at midway or lower in the
nape of the neck.
Showed no obvious adverse reaction
41. Intramuscular Injection
Chickens vaccinated intramuscularly;
Breast muscle is preferred
Ease of administration
Fewer clinical complications
But this results in losses at processing
The upper leg is an alternative,
But has resulted in a granulomatous cellulitus which was exacerbated
by the movement of pullets from grower to layer houses.
42. Inactivated Vaccines
Age of Vaccination
Vaccination age effects the level of protective immunity
elicited by bacterins.
Chickens vaccinated with a single dose at one week of age
were protected against challenge with virulent M.
gallisepticum seven weeks or three weeks later.
Chickens vaccinated with a laboratory-prepared vaccine at;
One day of age demonstrated little protection
Seven days old demonstrated variable protection
11 days or older demonstrated significant protection
43. Inactivated Vaccines
NO. of Doses
An effect caused by the number of doses has been noted in
some (but not all) artificial challenge studies, with two doses
providing superior protection to a single dose.
44. Cont. …
In a field trial,
Twice-vaccinated pullets
Housed to 64 weeks
Laid 12.8 eggs more per hen than a control group which is
vaccinated only with F strain.
Once-vaccinated group
The difference was only 3.8 eggs.
45. Cont. …
Two doses of bacterin during rearing;
Hen-housed egg production to 66 weeks of age
7.6% to 9.1% higher than unvaccinated controls
46. Plan of Talk
Introduction
Live vaccines
– Live strains
– Administration
– Effect on respiratory tract
– Effect on egg production and quality
Inactivated vaccines
– Administration
– Effect on MG transmission through the egg
– Effects on respiratory disease
47. Effect on
MG Transmission Through the Egg
After aerosol challenge with virulent M. Gallisepticum,
vaccination with one or two doses of bacterin delayed the onset
and reduced the rate of M. gallisepticum transmission through
the egg, in comparison with unvaccinated hens.
However, vaccination was not effective when administered
two weeks after experimental challenge.
48. Effects on
Egg Production
A beneficial effect in the prevention of drops in egg
production associated with M. gallisepticum was confirmed in
experimental pen trial studies.
In the four-week period after challenge, unvaccinated hens
laid only ½ the number of eggs produced by once- or twice-
vaccinated birds.
49. Plan of Talk
Introduction
Live vaccines
– Live strains
– Administration
– Effect on respiratory tract
– Effect on egg production and quality
Inactivated vaccines
– Administration
– Effect on MG transmission through the egg
– Effects on respiratory disease
50. Effects on
Respiratory Disease
The subcutaneous administration of bacterin was reported to
reduce the number of organisms in the trachea following
challenge.
Experimental use of the product developed by Hildebrand and
colleagues resulted in a reduced incidence of respiratory
signs following artificial challenge and improved performance
of layer flocks.
51. Cont. …
Detailed quantitative studies showed that the mean number
of M. gallisepticum isolated from the tracheas of bacterin
vaccinated chickens up to 8 weeks after intra-tracheal
challenge was only slightly less than that of unvaccinated
controls.
While the infective dose 50% (ID50) only increased from 10 log
2.9 organisms in unvaccinated controls to 10 log 3.7 organisms
in chickens receiving two doses of bacterin.
52. Cont. …
It was concluded that protection against respiratory infection
elicited by parenteral administration of bacterin is limited and
unlikely to be of practical significance.
The results corroborated field observations that the continued
use of M. gallisepticum bacterin on multiple-age poultry
farms had failed to eliminate the infection.
Editor's Notes
The duration of immunity is not known, but most flocks are exposed within 1–2 months after vaccination.