title: Glycoprotein G deficient infectious laryngotracheitis virus is a candidate attenuated vaccine.
abstract: Infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), an alphaherpesvirus, causes respiratory disease in chickens and is currently controlled by vaccination with conventionally attenuated virus strains. These vaccines have limitations because of residual pathogenicity and reversion to virulence, suggesting that a novel vaccine strain that lacks virulence gene(s) may enhance disease control. Glycoprotein G (gG) has recently been identified as a virulence factor in ILTV. In this study the immunogenicity and relative pathogenicity of gG deficient ILTV was investigated in SPF chickens. Birds vaccinated with gG deficient ILTV were protected against clinical signs of disease following challenge with virulent ILTV and gG deficient ILTV was also shown to be less pathogenic than currently available commercial vaccine strains. Thus gG deficient ILTV appears to have potential as a vaccine candidate.
authors.affiliation: School of Veterinary Science, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic. 3010, Australia. devlinj@unimelb.edu.au
authors.forename: Joanne M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Devlin
authors.forename: Glenn F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Browning
authors.forename: Carol A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Hartley
authors.forename: James R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Gilkerson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000821:virology*; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology; D022283:Herpesvirus Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D025921:Iltovirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000821:virology; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D014132:Trachea / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics; D014774:Virulence; D014779:Virus Replication; D015430:Weight Gain
chemical_list: D022283:Herpesvirus Vaccines; D014613:Vaccines, Attenuated; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C067381:GB protein, Infectious laryngotracheitis virus