Transmission of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus in Pekin ducks is significantly reduced by a genetically distant H5N2 vaccine.
Domestic ducks play an important role in the epidemiology of H5N1 avian influenza. Although it is known that vaccines that have a high homology with the challenge virus are able to prevent infection in ducks, little is yet known about the ability of genetically more distant vaccines in preventing infection, disease, and transmission. Here we study the effect of a widely used H5N2 vaccine (A/Chicken/Mexico/232/94/CPA) on the transmission of H5N1 virus (A/Chicken/China/1204/04) in ducks. The quantitative analyses show that despite the low level of homology between the virus and vaccine strain transmission was significantly reduced two weeks after a single or double vaccination. Mortality and disease rates were reduced markedly already one week after a single vaccination.
Central Veterinary Institute of Wageningen UR (CVI), P.O. Box 65, 8200 AB Lelystad, The Netherlands. jeanet.vandergoot@wur.nl
Jeanet A
JA
van der Goot
Michiel
M
van Boven
Arjan
A
Stegeman
Sandra G P
SG
van de Water
Mart C M
MC
de Jong
Guus
G
Koch
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D004372:Ducks; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D053124:Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D053125:Influenza A Virus, H5N2 Subtype / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D005585:Influenza in Birds / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014132:Trachea / Q000821:virology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007252:Influenza Vaccines