Development and large-scale use of recombinant VP2 vaccine for the prevention of infectious bursal disease of chickens.
Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) is the causative agent of Gumboro disease, an infectious disease of global economic importance in poultry. One of the most effective types of inactivated IBDV vaccine is produced by infecting young chickens with a virulent strain, sacrificing them and extracting the virus from the bursa of Fabricius. The goal of this study was to produce an effective subunit vaccine against IBDV thereby providing an effective means of combating the disease. In areas in which the bursa-derived vaccine is in use, this subunit vaccine would eliminate the use of live birds for the production of inactivated vaccines. The gene for viral protein 2 (VP2) of IBDV was cloned into a Pichia pastoris expression system. This efficient system allowed us to meet the need for inexpensive vaccines required by the poultry industry. Following expression and scale-up, the protein was used to vaccinate chickens, against either Gumboro disease alone or in combination with inactivated Newcastle disease virus (NDV). Full protection was conferred against IBDV following vaccination with the subunit recombinant vaccine. No untoward influence on the response to the NDV vaccine was recorded. Over 250 million birds have already been vaccinated with this vaccine. The advantages of a subunit vaccine over an inactivated one are discussed. This approach will enable rapid adjustment to new virulent strains if and when they appear.
Pitcovski
Jacob
J
MIGAL, South Industrial Area, P.O. Box 831, Kiryat Shmona 11016, Israel. jp@migal.org.il
Gutter
Bezalel
B
Gallili
Gilad
G
Goldway
Martin
M
Perelman
Beny
B
Gross
Gideon
G
Krispel
Simha
S
Barbakov
Marisa
M
Michael
Amnon
A
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D018175:Birnaviridae Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D002645:Chickens; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D007243:Infectious bursal disease virus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology*; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; C082513:VP2 protein, infectious bursal disease virus; D022223:Vaccines, Subunit; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins; D014765:Viral Vaccines