Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 9/17/15


USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation reported advances in developing a vaccine to limit the effects of a virus that causes infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) in poultry.

The research led by Dr. Maricarmen Garcia and a team at the University of Georgia was designed to develop a new generation of stable, live vaccines to fight off the ILT virus within fertilized chicken eggs. Previous versions used through eye drops in live chickens were limited in their ability to provide immunity to ILT in the field, The in-egg vaccination appeared to be more effective versus current mass vaccination later in life, the research found.

ILT is an acute, highly contagious infection in chickens and pheasants that causes coughing, rales (rattling sounds) and tracheitis, Mortality rates could reach 50 percent in adults and birds remain highly contagious even if they recover from the disease, according to the online Merck Veterinary Manual.

USPOULTRY said the results indicated that researchers are “a step closer” to developing more effective vaccines and implementing more effective control strategies against ILT.

For more stories, go to www.meatingplace.com.