Protection of chickens from lethal avian influenza A virus infection by live-virus vaccination with infectious laryngotracheitis virus recombinants expressing the hemagglutinin (H5) gene

Current Status of Poultry Recombinant Virus Vector Vaccine Development

Inactivated and live attenuated vaccines are the mainstays of preventing viral poultry diseases. However, the development of recombinant DNA technology in recent years has enabled the generation of recombinant virus vector vaccines, which have the advantages of preventing multiple diseases simultaneously and simplifying the vaccination schedule. More importantly, some can induce a protective immune response in the presence of maternal antibodies and offer long-term immune protection. These advantages compensate for the shortcomings of traditional vaccines. This review describes the construction and characterization of primarily poultry vaccine vectors, including fowl poxvirus (FPV), fowl adenovirus (FAdV), Newcastle disease virus (NDV), Marek's disease virus (MDV), and herpesvirus of turkey (HVT). In addition, the pathogens targeted and the immunoprotective effect of different poultry recombinant virus vector vaccines are also presented. Finally, this review discusses the challenges in developing vector vaccines and proposes strategies for improving immune efficacy.

Poultry Vaccine Technology Platforms

The different technology platforms used to make poultry vaccines are reviewed. Vaccines based on classical technologies are either live attenuated or inactivated vaccines. Genetic engineering is applied to design by deletion, mutation, insertion, or chimerization, genetically modified target microorganisms that are used either as live or inactivated vaccines. Other vaccine platforms are based on one or a few genes of the target pathogen agent coding for proteins that can induce a protective immune response ("protective genes"). These genes can be expressed in vitro to produce subunit vaccines. Alternatively, vectors carrying these genes in their genome or nucleic acid-based vaccines will induce protection by in vivo expression of these genes in the vaccinated host. Properties of these different types of vaccines, including advantages and limitations, are reviewed, focusing mainly on vaccines targeting viral diseases and on technologies that succeeded in market authorization.

Glycoprotein-C-gene-deleted recombinant infectious laryngotracheitis virus expressing a genotype VII Newcastle disease virus fusion protein protects against virulent infectious laryngotracheitis virus and Newcastle disease virus

To develop an alternative vectored vaccine against both Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), the glycoprotein C (gC) gene was first deleted from an avirulent ILTV. Based on this gC-deleted ILTV mutant, a recombinant ILTV expressing the fusion protein (F) of a genotype VII NDV (designated ILTV-ΔgC-F) was then constructed. Expression of the NDV F protein in ILTV-ΔgC-F-infected LMH cells was examined with an immunofluorescence assay and western blotting. The F gene was stably maintained in the genome of ILTV-ΔgC-F and the F protein was stably expressed. Compared with the parental virus, ILTV-ΔgC-F demonstrated an increased penetration capacity in vitro, and an increased replication rate in vitro and in vivo. Both the parental virus and ILTV-ΔgC-F were avirulent in chickens. Vaccination of specific-pathogen-free chickens with ILTV-ΔgC-F induced ILTV-specific antibodies, detected with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and provided complete clinical protection against virulent ILTV, although viral shedding and replication were detected in the respiratory tract in the early stage of infection in a very small number of birds. Vaccination with ILTV-ΔgC-F also provided significant protection against challenge with a virulent genotype VII NDV, although the level of NDV-specific antibodies detected with an ELISA was low. Notably, the numbers of birds that were positive for the virulent genotype VII NDV and the replication of the challenge virus NDV in selected target tissues were significantly lower in the ILTV-ΔgC-F-vaccinated chickens than in the control birds. Our results indicate that ILTV-ΔgC-F has potential utility as a bivalent candidate vaccine against both infectious laryngotracheitis and Newcastle disease.

Recombinant Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) Expressing Sigma C Protein of Avian Reovirus (ARV) Protects against Both ARV and NDV in Chickens

Newcastle disease (ND) and avian reovirus (ARV) infections are a serious threat to the poultry industry, which causes heavy economic losses. The mesogenic NDV strain R2B is commonly used as a booster vaccine in many Asian countries to control the disease. In this seminal work, a recombinant NDV strain R2B expressing the sigma C (σC) gene of ARV (rNDV-R2B-σC) was generated by reverse genetics, characterized in vitro and tested as a bivalent vaccine candidate in chickens. The recombinant rNDV-R2B-σC virus was attenuated as compared to the parent rNDV-R2B virus as revealed by standard pathogenicity assays. The generated vaccine candidate, rNDV-R2B-σC, could induce both humoral and cell mediated immune responses in birds and gave complete protection against virulent NDV and ARV challenges. Post-challenge virus shedding analysis revealed a drastic reduction in NDV shed, as compared to unvaccinated birds.

Recombinant infectious laryngotracheitis virus expressing Newcastle disease virus F protein protects chickens against infectious laryngotracheitis virus and Newcastle disease virus challenge

In this study, we isolated and identified an infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) that was naturally avirulent in specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens, with the aim of developing a more efficacious vaccine against ILTV and Newcastle disease virus (NDV). We constructed a US9-deleted ILTV mutant based on this avirulent ILTV, and then constructed a recombinant ILTV (designated ILTV-ΔUS9-F) expressing the fusion protein (F) of the genotype VII NDV based on the US9-deleted ILTV mutant. Expression of the F protein in ILTV-ΔUS9-F-infected cells was confirmed by indirect immunofluorescence assay and western blotting. The inserted F gene was stably expressed in ILTV-ΔUS9-F. The growth kinetics of ILTV-ΔUS9-F were comparable to those of the wild-type ILTV strain. Vaccination of SPF chickens with ILTV-ΔUS9-F produced no clinical signs but did induce low levels of NDV-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and neutralizing antibodies. A single vaccination with 10⁴ plaque-forming units (PFU) of ILTV-ΔUS9-F provided good protection against both genotype VII and IX NDVs based on clinical signs, similar to the protection provided by the commercial live La Sota vaccine. Notably, ILTV-ΔUS9-F limited the replication and shedding of genotype VII NDV from oropharyngeal swabs more efficiently than the La Sota vaccine. In addition, vaccination with lower doses (10³ and 10² PFU) of ILTV-ΔUS9-F also provided sufficient clinical protection. These results indicated that ILTV-ΔUS9-F may be a bivalent vaccine candidate against both ILTV and NDV.

Recent advances in viral vectors in veterinary vaccinology

Viral vectored vaccines, particularly using vectors such as adenovirus, herpesvirus and poxviruses, are used widely in veterinary medicine, where this technology has been adopted much more quickly than in human medicine. There are now a large number of programmes to develop viral vector vaccine platforms for humans and very similar or identical vectors are being developed for veterinary medicine. The shared experiences of developing these new vaccine platforms across the two disciplines is accelerating progress, a striking example of the value of a 'One Health' approach. In particular, there is growing use of adenoviruses, either replicating or replication-incompetent, to create new vaccines for use in livestock or companion animals. Live replicating avian herpesvirus vectors are increasingly used as vaccines against poultry diseases.

Recombinant Avian Paramyxovirus Serotypes 2, 6, and 10 as Vaccine Vectors for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Chickens with Antibodies Against Newcastle Disease Virus

Recombinant Newcastle disease virus (rNDV) expressing the hemagglutinin of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV HA) induces protective immunity against HPAIV in chickens. However, the efficacy of rNDV vectors is hampered when chickens are pre-immune to NDV, and most commercial chickens are routinely vaccinated against NDV. We recently showed that avian paramyxovirus serotypes 2, 6, and 10 (APMV-2, APMV-6, and APMV-10), which belong to the same genus as NDV, have low cross-reactivity with anti-NDV antisera. Here, we used reverse genetics to generate recombinant APMV-2, APMV-6, and APMV-10 (rAPMV-2/HA, rAPMV-6/HA, and rAPMV-10/HA) that expressed an HA protein derived of subtype H5N1 HPAIV, A/chicken/Yamaguchi/7/2004. Chickens pre-immunized against NDV (age, 7 wk) were vaccinated with rAPMV/HAs; 14 days after vaccination, chickens were challenged with a lethal dose of HPAIV. Immunization of chickens pre-immunized against NDV with rAPMV-2/HA, rAPMV-6/HA, or rAPMV-10/HA protected 50%, 50%, and 25%, respectively, in groups of chickens given an rAPMV/HA with 106 median embryo infectious dose (EID₅₀) or 50%, 50%, and 90%, respectively, in those with 10⁷ EID₅₀; in contrast, rNDV/HA protected none of the chicken vaccinated with 10⁶ EID₅₀ and induced only partial protection even with 10⁷ EID_50. Therefore, the presence of anti-NDV antibodies did not hamper the efficacy of rAPMV-2/HA, rAPMV-6/HA, or rAPMV-10/HA. These results suggest that rAPMV-2, rAPMV-6, and rAPMV-10 are potential vaccine vectors, especially for commercial chickens, which are routinely vaccinated against NDV.

Recombinant Marek's Disease Virus as a Vector-Based Vaccine against Avian Leukosis Virus Subgroup J in Chicken

Avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) is an immunosuppressive virus that causes considerable economic losses to the chicken industry in China. However, there is currently no effective vaccine to prevent ALV-J infection. In order to reduce the losses caused by ALV-J, we constructed two effective ALV-J vaccines by inserting the ALV-J (strain JL093-1) env or gag+env genes into the US2 gene of the Marek’s disease herpesviruses (MDV) by transfection of overlapping fosmid DNAs, creating two recombinant MDVs, rMDV/ALV-gag+env and rMDV/ALV-env. Analysis of cultured chicken embryo fibroblasts infected with the rMDVs revealed that Env and Gag were successfully expressed and that there was no difference in growth kinetics in cells infected with rMDVs compared with that of cells infected with the parent MDV. Chickens vaccinated with either rMDV revealed that positive serum antibodies were induced. Both rMDVs also effectively reduced the rate of positive viremia in chicken flocks challenged with ALV-J. The protective effect provided by rMDV/ALV-env inoculation was slightly stronger than that provided by rMDV/ALV-gag+env. This represents the first study where a potential rMDV vaccine, expressing ALV-J antigenic genes, has been shown to be effective in the prevention of ALV-J. Our study also opens new avenues for the control of MDV and ALV-J co-infection.

Viral vector-based influenza vaccines

Antigenic drift of seasonal influenza viruses and the occasional introduction of influenza viruses of novel subtypes into the human population complicate the timely production of effective vaccines that antigenically match the virus strains that cause epidemic or pandemic outbreaks. The development of game-changing vaccines that induce broadly protective immunity against a wide variety of influenza viruses is an unmet need, in which recombinant viral vectors may provide. Use of viral vectors allows the delivery of any influenza virus antigen, or derivative thereof, to the immune system, resulting in the optimal induction of virus-specific B- and T-cell responses against this antigen of choice. This systematic review discusses results obtained with vectored influenza virus vaccines and advantages and disadvantages of the currently available viral vectors.

Vaccines against influenza A viruses in poultry and swine: Status and future developments

Influenza A viruses are important pathogens with a very broad host spectrum including domestic poultry and swine. For preventing clinical disease and controlling the spread, vaccination is one of the most efficient tools. Classical influenza vaccines for domestic poultry and swine are conventional inactivated preparations. However, a very broad range of novel vaccine types ranging from (i) nucleic acid-based vaccines, (ii) replicon particles, (iii) subunits and virus-like particles, (iv) vectored vaccines, or (v) live-attenuated vaccines has been described, and some of them are now also used in the field. The different novel approaches for vaccines against avian and swine influenza virus infections are reviewed, and additional features like universal vaccines, novel application approaches and the "differentiating infected from vaccinated animals" (DIVA)-strategy are summarized.

Avian influenza vaccines against H5N1 'bird flu'

H5N1 avian influenza viruses (AIVs) have spread widely to more than 60 countries spanning three continents. To control the disease, vaccination of poultry is implemented in many of the affected countries, especially in those where H5N1 viruses have become enzootic in poultry and wild birds. Recently, considerable progress has been made toward the development of novel avian influenza (AI) vaccines, especially recombinant virus vector vaccines and DNA vaccines. Here, we will discuss the recent advances in vaccine development and use against H5N1 AIV in poultry. Understanding the properties of the available, novel vaccines will allow for the establishment of rational vaccination protocols, which in turn will help the effective control and prevention of H5N1 AI.

Prevention and control of highly pathogenic avian influenza with particular reference to H5N1

Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses of the H5N1 subtype emerged in Far East Asia in 1996 and spread in three continents in a period of 10 or less years. Before this event, avian influenza infections caused by highly pathogenic viruses had occurred in many different countries, causing minor or major outbreaks, and had always been eradicated. The unique features of these H5N1 viruses combined to the geographic characteristics of the area of emergence, including animal husbandry practices, has caused this subtype to become endemic in several Asian countries, as well as in Egypt. Our aim is to review the direct and indirect control strategies with the rationale for use, advantages and shortcomings - particularly resulting from practicalities linked to field application and economic constraints. Certainly, in low income countries which have applied vaccination, this has resulted in a failure to eradicate the infection. Although the number of infected countries has dropped from over 40 (2006) to under 10 (2012), the extensive circulation of H5N1 in areas with high poultry density still represents a risk for public and animal health.

Vaccination of gallinaceous poultry for H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza: current questions and new technology

Vaccination of poultry for avian influenza virus (AIV) is a complex topic as there are numerous technical, logistic and regulatory aspects which must be considered. Historically, control of high pathogenicity (HP) AIV infection in poultry has been accomplished by eradication and stamping out when outbreaks occur locally. Since the H5N1 HPAIV from Asia has spread and become enzootic, vaccination has been used on a long-term basis by some countries to control the virus, other countries have used it temporarily to aid eradication efforts, while others have not used it at all. Currently, H5N1 HPAIV is considered enzootic in China, Egypt, Viet Nam, India, Bangladesh and Indonesia. All but Bangladesh and India have instituted vaccination programs for poultry. Importantly, the specifics of these programs differ to accommodate different situations, resources, and industry structure in each country. The current vaccines most commonly used are inactivated whole virus vaccines, but vectored vaccine use is increasing. Numerous technical improvements to these platforms and novel vaccine platforms for H5N1 vaccines have been reported, but most are not ready to be implemented in the field.

Avirulent Marek's disease virus type 1 strain 814 vectored vaccine expressing avian influenza (AI) virus H5 haemagglutinin induced better protection than turkey herpesvirus vectored AI vaccine

Background

Herpesvirus of turkey (HVT) as a vector to express the haemagglutinin (HA) of avian influenza virus (AIV) H5 was developed and its protection against lethal Marek’s disease virus (MDV) and highly pathogenic AIV (HPAIV) challenges was evaluated previously. It is well-known that avirulemt MDV type 1 vaccines are more effective than HVT in prevention of lethal MDV infection. To further increase protective efficacy against HPAIV and lethal MDV, a recombinant MDV type 1 strain 814 was developed to express HA gene of HPAIV H5N1.

Methodology/Principal Findings

A recombinant MDV-1 strain 814 expressing HA gene of HPAIV H5N1 virus A/goose/Guangdong/3/96 at the US2 site (rMDV-HA) was developed under the control of a human CMV immediate-early promoter. The HA expression in the rMDV-HA was tested by immunofluorescence and Western blot analyses, and in vitro and in vivo growth properties of rMDV-HA were also analyzed. Furthermore, we evaluated and compared the protective immunity of rMDV-HA and previously constructed rHVT-HA against HPAIV and lethal MDV. Vaccination of chickens with rMDV-HA induced 80% protection against HPAIV, which was better than the protection rate by rHVT-HA (66.7%). In the animal study with MDV challenge, chickens immunized with rMDV-HA were completely protected against virulent MDV strain J-1 whereas rHVT-HA only induced 80% protection with the same challenge dose.

Conclusions/Significance

The rMDV-HA vaccine was more effective than rHVT-HA vaccine for protection against lethal MDV and HPAIV challenges. Therefore, avirulent MDV type 1 vaccine is a better vector than HVT for development of a recombinant live virus vaccine against virulent MDV and HPAIV in poultry.

Infectious laryngotracheitis virus in chickens

Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) is an important respiratory disease of chickens and annually causes significant economic losses in the poultry industry world-wide. ILT virus (ILTV) belongs to alphaherpesvirinae and the Gallid herpesvirus 1 species. The transmission of ILTV is via respiratory and ocular routes. Clinical and post-mortem signs of ILT can be separated into two forms according to its virulence. The characteristic of the severe form is bloody mucus in the trachea with high mortality. The mild form causes nasal discharge, conjunctivitis, and reduced weight gain and egg production. Conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR), nested PCR, real-time PCR, and loop-mediated isothermal amplification were developed to detect ILTV samples from natural or experimentally infected birds. The PCR combined with restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) can separate ILTVs into several genetic groups. These groups can separate vaccine from wild type field viruses. Vaccination is a common method to prevent ILT. However, field isolates and vaccine viruses can establish latent infected carriers. According to PCR-RFLP results, virulent field ILTVs can be derived from modified-live vaccines. Therefore, modified-live vaccine reversion provides a source for ILT outbreaks on chicken farms. Two recently licensed commercial recombinant ILT vaccines are also in use. Other recombinant and gene-deficient vaccine candidates are in the developmental stages. They offer additional hope for the control of this disease. However, in ILT endemic regions, improved biosecurity and management practices are critical for improved ILT control.

Protective efficacy of Newcastle disease virus expressing soluble trimeric hemagglutinin against highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza in chickens and mice

BACKGROUND

Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) causes a highly contagious often fatal disease in poultry, resulting in significant economic losses in the poultry industry. HPAIV H5N1 also poses a major public health threat as it can be transmitted directly from infected poultry to humans. One effective way to combat avian influenza with pandemic potential is through the vaccination of poultry. Several live vaccines based on attenuated Newcastle disease virus (NDV) that express influenza hemagglutinin (HA) have been developed to protect chickens or mammalian species against HPAIV. However, the zoonotic potential of NDV raises safety concerns regarding the use of live NDV recombinants, as the incorporation of a heterologous attachment protein may result in the generation of NDV with altered tropism and/or pathogenicity.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

In the present study we generated recombinant NDVs expressing either full length, membrane-anchored HA of the H5 subtype (NDV-H5) or a soluble trimeric form thereof (NDV-sH5(3)). A single intramuscular immunization with NDV-sH5(3) or NDV-H5 fully protected chickens against disease after a lethal challenge with H5N1 and reduced levels of virus shedding in tracheal and cloacal swabs. NDV-sH5(3) was less protective than NDV-H5 (50% vs 80% protection) when administered via the respiratory tract. The NDV-sH5(3) was ineffective in mice, regardless of whether administered oculonasally or intramuscularly. In this species, NDV-H5 induced protective immunity against HPAIV H5N1, but only after oculonasal administration, despite the poor H5-specific serum antibody response it elicited.

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE

Although NDV expressing membrane anchored H5 in general provided better protection than its counterpart expressing soluble H5, chickens could be fully protected against a lethal challenge with H5N1 by using the latter NDV vector. This study thus provides proof of concept for the use of recombinant vector vaccines expressing a soluble form of a heterologous viral membrane protein. Such vectors may be advantageous as they preclude the incorporation of heterologous membrane proteins into the viral vector particles.

Live attenuated H5N1 vaccine with H9N2 internal genes protects chickens from infections by both highly pathogenic H5N1 and H9N2 influenza viruses

Please cite this paper as: Nang et al. (2013) Live attenuated H5N1 vaccine with H9N2 internal genes protects chickens from infections by both Highly Pathogenic H5N1 and H9N2 Influenza Viruses. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 7(2) 120–131.

Background  The highly pathogenic H5N1 and H9N2 influenza viruses are endemic in many countries around the world and have caused considerable economic loss to the poultry industry.

Objectives  We aimed to study whether a live attenuated H5N1 vaccine comprising internal genes from a cold‐adapted H9N2 influenza virus could protect chickens from infection by both H5N1 and H9N2 viruses.

Methods  We developed a cold‐adapted H9N2 vaccine virus expressing hemagglutinin and neuraminidase derived from the highly pathogenic H5N1 influenza virus using reverse genetics.

Results and Conclusions  Chickens immunized with the vaccine were protected from lethal infections with homologous and heterologous H5N1 or H9N2 influenza viruses. Specific antibody against H5N1 virus was detected up to 11 weeks after vaccination (the endpoint of this study). In vaccinated chickens, IgA and IgG antibody subtypes were induced in lung and intestinal tissue, and CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes expressing interferon‐gamma were induced in the splenocytes. These data suggest that a live attenuated H5N1 vaccine with cold‐adapted H9N2 internal genes can protect chickens from infection with H5N1 and H9N2 influenza viruses by eliciting humoral and cellular immunity.

A duck enteritis virus-vectored bivalent live vaccine provides fast and complete protection against H5N1 avian influenza virus infection in ducks

Ducks play an important role in the maintenance of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses (AIVs) in nature, and the successful control of AIVs in ducks has important implications for the eradication of the disease in poultry and its prevention in humans. The inactivated influenza vaccine is expensive, labor-intensive, and usually needs 2 to 3 weeks to induce protective immunity in ducks. Live attenuated duck enteritis virus (DEV; a herpesvirus) vaccine is used routinely to control lethal DEV infections in many duck-producing areas. Here, we first established a system to generate the DEV vaccine strain by using the transfection of overlapping fosmid DNAs. Using this system, we constructed two recombinant viruses, rDEV-ul41HA and rDEV-us78HA, in which the hemagglutinin (HA) gene of the H5N1 virus A/duck/Anhui/1/06 was inserted and stably maintained within the ul41 gene or between the us7 and us8 genes of the DEV genome. Duck studies indicated that rDEV-us78HA had protective efficacy similar to that of the live DEV vaccine against lethal DEV challenge; importantly, a single dose of 10(6) PFU of rDEV-us78HA induced complete protection against a lethal H5N1 virus challenge in as little as 3 days postvaccination. The protective efficacy against both lethal DEV and H5N1 challenge provided by rDEV-ul41HA inoculation in ducks was slightly weaker than that provided by rDEV-us78HA. These results demonstrate, for the first time, that recombinant DEV is suitable for use as a bivalent live attenuated vaccine, providing rapid protection against both DEV and H5N1 virus infection in ducks.

Identifying innate immune pathways of the chicken may lead to new antiviral therapies

Zoonotic viruses, such as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), present a significant threat to both the poultry industry and public health. The present method of controlling avian influenza (AI) relies on good farming practice with limited use of vaccination in some countries. However, new ways to control disease outbreaks might be possible with additional knowledge of the natural host response to virus. Moreover, manipulation of the innate immune system in mammals improves the outcomes following viral infection. A similar approach might be applied to the chicken, nevertheless, a greater knowledge of the chicken innate immune system is required. This review outlines important mammalian antiviral mechanisms that have been modulated to strengthen viral immunity and highlights the potential application of these strategies in the chicken, especially in regards, to AI.

Evaluation of a Subunit H5 Vaccine and an Inactivated H5N2 Avian Influenza Marker Vaccine in Ducks Challenged with Vietnamese H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus

The protective efficacy of a subunit avian influenza virus H5 vaccine based on recombinant baculovirus expressed H5 haemagglutinin antigen and an inactivated H5N2 avian influenza vaccine combined with a marker antigen (tetanus toxoid) was compared with commercially available inactivated H5N2 avian influenza vaccine in young ducks. Antibody responses, morbidity, mortality, and virus shedding were evaluated after challenge with a Vietnamese clade 1 H5N1 HPAI virus [A/VN/1203/04 (H5N1)] that was known to cause a high mortality rate in ducks. All three vaccines, administered with water-in-oil adjuvant, provided significant protection and dramatically reduced the duration and titer of virus shedding in the vaccinated challenged ducks compared with unvaccinated controls. The H5 subunit vaccine was shown to provide equivalent protection to the other two vaccines despite the H5 antibody responses in subunit vaccinated ducks being significantly lower prior to challenge. Ducks vaccinated with the H5N2 marker vaccine consistently produced antitetanus toxoid antibody. The two novel vaccines have attributes that would enhance H5N1 avian influenza surveillance and control by vaccination in small scale and village poultry systems.

Immunization of chickens with Newcastle disease virus expressing H5 hemagglutinin protects against highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses

Background

Highly-pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) and Newcastle disease virus (NDV) are the two most important poultry viruses in the world. Natural low-virulence NDV strains have been used as vaccines over the past 70 years with proven track records. We have previously developed a reverse genetics system to produce low-virulent NDV vaccine strain LaSota from cloned cDNA. This system allows us to use NDV as a vaccine vector for other avian pathogens.

Methodology/Principal Finding

Here, we constructed two recombinant NDVs (rNDVs) each of which expresses the hemagglutinin (HA) gene of HPAIV H5N1strain A/Vietnam/1203/2004 from an added gene. In one, rNDV (rNDV-HA), the open reading frame (ORF) of HA gene was expressed without modification. In the second, rNDV (rNDV-HAF), the ORF was modified so that the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of the encoded HA gene were replaced with those of the NDV F protein. The insertion of either version of the HA ORF did not increase the virulence of the rNDV vector. The HA protein was found to be incorporated into the envelopes of both rNDV-HA and rNDV-HAF. However, there was an enhanced incorporation of the HA protein in rNDV-HAF. Chickens immunized with a single dose of either rNDV-HA or rNDV-HAF induced a high titer of HPAIV H5-specific antibodies and were completely protected against challenge with NDV as well as lethal challenges of both homologous and heterologous HPAIV H5N1.

Conclusion and Significance

Our results suggest that these chimeric viruses have potential as safe and effective bivalent vaccines against NDV and. HPAIV. These vaccines will be convenient and affordable, which will be highly beneficial to the poultry industry. Furthermore, immunization with these vaccines will permit serological differentiation of vaccinated and avian influenza field virus infected animals.

Live vaccination with an H5-hemagglutinin-expressing infectious laryngotracheitis virus recombinant protects chickens against different highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses of the H5 subtype

Recently, we described an infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV, gallid herpesvirus 1) recombinant, which had been attenuated by deletion of the viral dUTPase gene UL50, and abundantly expressed the hemagglutinin (HA) gene of a H5N1 type highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) of Vietnamese origin. In the present study, efficacy of this vectored vaccine (ILTV-DeltaUL50IH5V) against different H5 HPAIV was evaluated in 6-week-old chickens. After a single ocular immunization all animals developed HA-specific antibodies, and were protected against lethal infection not only with the homologous HPAIV isolate A/duck/Vietnam/TG24-01/2005 (H5N1, clade 1, hemagglutinin amino acid sequence identity 100%), but also with heterologous HPAIV A/swan/Germany/R65/2006 (H5N1, clade 2.2, identity 96.1%) or HPAIV A/chicken/Italy/8/98 (H5N2, identity 93.8%). No symptoms of disease were observed after challenge with the H5N1 viruses, and only 20% of H5N2 challenged animals developed minimal clinical signs. Real-time RT-PCR analyses of oropharyngeal swabs revealed limited challenge virus replication, but the almost complete absence of HPAIV RNA from cloacal swabs indicated that no generalized infections occurred. Thus, unlike several previous vectors, ILTV-DeltaUL50IH5V was able to protect chickens against different HPAIV isolates of the H5 subtype. Vaccination with HA-expressing ILTV also allowed differentiation of immunized from AIV-infected animals by serological tests for antibodies against influenza virus nucleoprotein.

Antigen delivery systems for veterinary vaccine development. Viral-vector based delivery systems

The recent advances in molecular genetics, pathogenesis and immunology have provided an optimal framework for developing novel approaches in the rational design of vaccines effective against viral epizootic diseases. This paper reviews most of the viral-vector based antigen delivery systems (ADSs) recently developed for vaccine testing in veterinary species, including attenuated virus and DNA and RNA viral vectors. Besides their usefulness in vaccinology, these ADSs constitute invaluable tools to researchers for understanding the nature of protective responses in different species, opening the possibility of modulating or potentiating relevant immune mechanisms involved in protection.

Avian influenza vaccines and vaccination in birds

Although the use of vaccines against avian influenza viruses in birds has been discouraged over the years, the unprecedented occurrence of outbreaks caused by avian influenza (AI) viruses in recent times has required review of this policy. A variety of products are now available on the market, ranging from inactivated conventional to live recombinant products. The general consensus on the use of vaccination is that if complying to GMP standards and properly administered, birds will be more resistant to field challenge and will exhibit reduced shedding levels in case of infection. However, viral circulation may still occur in a clinically healthy vaccinated population. This may result in an endemic situation and in the emergence of antigenic variants. In order to limit these risks, monitoring programmes enabling the detection of field exposure in vaccinated populations are recommended by international organisations and are essential to allow the continuation of international trade. Adequate management of a vaccination campaign, including monitoring, improved biosecurity and restriction is essential for the success of any control program for AI.

Influenza vaccines for avian species

Beginning in Southeast Asia in 2003, a multinational epizootic outbreak of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was identified in commercial poultry and wild bird species. This lineage, originally identified in Southern China in 1996 and then Hong Kong in 1997, caused severe morbidity and mortality in many bird species, was responsible for considerable economic losses via trade restrictions, and crossed species barriers (including its recovery from human cases). To date, these H5N1 HPAI viruses have been isolated in European, Middle Eastern, and African countries, and are considered endemic in many areas where regulatory control and different production sectors face substantial hurdles in controlling the spread of this disease. While control of avian influenza (AI) virus infections in wild bird populations may not be feasible at this point, control and eradiation of AI from commercial, semicommercial, zoo, pet, and village/backyard birds will be critical to preventing events that could lead to the emergence of epizootic influenza virus. Efficacious vaccines can help reduce disease, viral shedding, and transmission to susceptible cohorts. However, only when vaccines are used in a comprehensive program including biosecurity, education, culling, diagnostics and surveillance can control and eradication be considered achievable goals. In humans, protection against influenza is provided by vaccines that are chosen based on molecular, epidemiologic, and antigenic data. In poultry and other birds, AI vaccines are produced against a specific hemagglutinin subtype of AI, and use is decided by government and state agricultural authorities based on risk and economic considerations, including the potential for trade restrictions. In the current H5N1 HPAI epizootic, vaccines have been used in a variety of avian species as a part of an overall control program to aid in disease management and control.

Protection of chickens against H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus infection by live vaccination with infectious laryngotracheitis virus recombinants expressing H5 hemagglutinin and N1 neuraminidase

Attenuated vaccine strains of the alphaherpesvirus causing infectious laryngotracheitis of chickens (ILTV, gallid herpesvirus 1) can be used for mass application. Previously, we showed that live virus vaccination with recombinant ILTV expressing hemagglutinin of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (HPAIV) protected chickens against ILT and fowl plague caused by HPAIV carrying the corresponding hemagglutinin subtypes [Lüschow D, Werner O, Mettenleiter TC, Fuchs W. Protection of chickens from lethal avian influenza A virus infection by live-virus vaccination with infectious laryngotracheitis virus recombinants expressing the hemagglutinin (H5) gene. Vaccine 2001;19(30):4249-59; Veits J, Lüschow D, Kindermann K, Werner O, Teifke JP, Mettenleiter TC, et al. Deletion of the non-essential UL0 gene of infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) virus leads to attenuation in chickens, and UL0 mutants expressing influenza virus haemagglutinin (H7) protect against ILT and fowl plague. J Gen Virol 2003;84(12):3343-52]. However, protection against H5N1 HPAIV was not satisfactory. Therefore, a newly designed dUTPase-negative ILTV vector was used for rapid insertion of the H5-hemagglutinin, or N1-neuraminidase genes of a recent H5N1 HPAIV isolate. Compared to our previous constructs, protein expression was considerably enhanced by insertion of synthetic introns downstream of the human cytomegalovirus immediate-early promoter within the 5'-nontranslated region of the transgenes. Deletion of the viral dUTPase gene did not affect in vitro replication of the ILTV recombinants, but led to sufficient attenuation in vivo. After a single ocular immunization, all chickens developed H5- or N1-specific serum antibodies. Nevertheless, animals immunized with N1-ILTV died after subsequent H5N1 HPAIV challenge, although survival times were prolonged compared to non-vaccinated controls. In contrast, all chickens vaccinated with either H5-ILTV alone, or H5- and N1-ILTV simultaneously, survived without showing any clinical signs. Real-time RT-PCR indicated limited challenge virus replication after vaccination with H5-ILTV only, which was completely blocked after coimmunization with N1-ILTV. Thus, chickens can be protected from H5N1 HPAIV-induced disease by live vaccination with an attenuated hemagglutinin-expressing ILTV recombinant, and efficacy can be further increased by coadministration of an ILTV mutant expressing neuraminidase. Furthermore, chickens vaccinated with ILTV vectors can be easily differentiated from influenza virus-infected animals by the absence of serum antibodies against the AIV nucleoprotein.

Level of protection of chickens against highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza virus with Newcastle disease virus based live attenuated vector vaccine depends on homology of H5 sequence between vaccine and challenge virus

Vaccination of poultry against avian influenza is of high priority, in particular after the dramatic spread of subtype H5N1 in Asia, Africa and Europe. Newcastle disease virus (NDV) has been developed as a vector for the expression of the main immunogen of avian influenza virus, hemagglutinin (HA). An NDV vector based vaccine has several advantages. It allows easy serological differentiation between infected and vaccinated animals by the detection of antibodies against non-HA influenza proteins. Moreover, it can be administered easily to large numbers of animals by spray or drinking water. We recently showed that chickens could be protected against infection with highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) A/chicken/Italy/8/98 (H5N2) after immunization with a recombinant Newcastle disease virus, NDVH5m, which expresses the homologous hemagglutinin. Here, we describe that immunization with NDVH5m conferred only partial protection against lethal infection with heterologous HPAIV A/duck/Vietnam/TG24-01/05 (H5N1). Comparison of amino acid sequences of both H5 proteins showed only 93.6% amino acid identity. Therefore, a new NDV recombinant (NDVH5Vm) was generated which expresses the H5 protein of HPAIV A/chicken/Vietnam/P41/05 (H5N1). This recombinant virus protected chickens against lethal infection with HPAIV H5N1 (Vietnam) already after one immunization. Our data thus show that application of a vector-based vaccine in the control of influenza may require adaptation of the vaccine to currently circulating viruses.

Influenza vaccines and vaccination strategies in birds

Although it is well accepted that the present Asian H5N1 panzootic is predominantly an animal health problem, the human health implications and the risk of human pandemic have highlighted the need for more information and collaboration in the field of veterinary and human health. H5 and H7 avian influenza (AI) viruses have the unique property of becoming highly pathogenic (HPAI) during circulation in poultry. Therefore, the final objective of poultry vaccination against AI must be eradication of the virus and the disease. Actually, important differences exist in the control of avian and human influenza viruses. Firstly, unlike human vaccines that must be adapted to the circulating strain to provide adequate protection, avian influenza vaccination provides broader protection against HPAI viruses. Secondly, although clinical protection is the primary goal of human vaccines, poultry vaccination must also stop transmission to achieve efficient control of the disease. This paper addresses these differences by reviewing the current and future influenza vaccines and vaccination strategies in birds.

Protective efficacy of several vaccines against highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus under experimental conditions

Although several vaccines have been developed to protect against highly pathogenic avian influenza of subtype H5N1 'Asia' their efficiency has primarily been assessed individually. Thus, a direct comparison of their performance is still lacking. The following study was conducted to compare the protective efficacy of three commercially available inactivated vaccines based on influenza virus strains of subtypes H5N2 (vaccine A), H5N9 (vaccine B), and H5N3 (vaccine C), as well as two hemagglutinin expressing experimental vector vaccines (modified vaccinia virus Ankara-H5 and Newcastle disease virus-H5) against a lethal dose of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus in chickens. To assess their potential as emergency vaccines, a single immunisation was performed for all vaccines, despite the recommendation of a double-vaccination schedule for commercial vaccines B and C. Overall, all vaccines induced clinical protection against challenge infection 3 weeks after immunisation. No mortality was observed in chickens immunised with vaccine A and viral shedding could not be detected. Immunisation with NDV-H5, vaccine C and MVA-H5 conferred also protection against lethal challenge. However, viral RNA was detected by real-time RT-PCR in swabs of 10%, 20% and 50% of animals, and 0%, 10% and 30% of animals, respectively, shed infectious virus. Immunisation with vaccine B was less protective since 50% of the vaccinated animals shed infectious virus after challenge and 20% of the chickens succumbed to disease. These results indicate that the NDV-H5 vectored vaccine is similarly effective as the best inactivated vaccine. Considering the advantage of live NDV which can be administered via spray or drinking water as well as the potential use of this H5 expressing vector vaccine for an easy DIVA (differentiating infected from vaccinated animals) strategy, NDV-H5 could represent an alternative for extensive vaccination against avian influenza in chickens.

The UL47 gene of avian infectious laryngotracheitis virus is not essential for in vitro replication but is relevant for virulence in chickens

The genome of infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) exhibits several differences from those of other avian and mammalian alphaherpesviruses. One of them is the translocation of the conserved UL47 gene from the unique long (UL) to the unique short (US) genome region, where UL47 is inserted upstream of the US4 gene homologue. As in other alphaherpesviruses, UL47 encodes a major tegument protein of ILTV particles, whereas the US4 gene product is a non-structural glycoprotein, gG, which is secreted from infected cells. For functional characterization, an ILTV recombinant was isolated in which US4 together with the 3′-terminal part of UL47 was replaced by a reporter gene cassette encoding green fluorescent protein. From this virus, UL47 and US4 single-gene deletion mutants without foreign sequences were derived and virus revertants were also generated. In vitro studies revealed that both genes were non-essential for ILTV replication in cultured cells. Whereas US4-negative ILTV exhibited no detectable growth defects, maximum virus titres of the double deletion mutant and of UL47-negative ILTV were reduced about 10-fold compared with those of wild-type virus and rescued virus. Experimental infection of chickens demonstrated that UL47-negative ILTV was significantly attenuated in vivo and was shed in reduced amounts, whereas wild-type and rescued viruses caused severe disease and high mortality rates. As all immunized animals were protected against subsequent challenge infection with virulent ILTV, the UL47 deletion mutant might be suitable as a live-virus vaccine.

Avian influenza virus: prospects for prevention and control by vaccination

Although vaccination does not always prevent infection of avian influenza (AI) virus, the clear benefit of vaccination is in its ability to prevent disease and to reduce the amount of virus in circulation. Thus, judicious use of vaccination can be an important component of an AI control program. However, the long-term use of vaccination without eradication may result in the selection of the antigenically divergent strains, which compromises the value of vaccination. In this review, the effectiveness of currently available and future AI vaccines is discussed with suggestions for the ideal use of vaccination even with antigenic drift of the virus.

Molecular biology of avian infectious laryngotracheitis virus

Infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) is an alphaherpesvirus that causes an economically important chicken disease, which results in delayed growth, reduced egg production, and also frequently in death of the animals. After acute infection of the upper respiratory tract, the virus can establish latency in the central nervous system, and subsequent reactivations can lead to infection of naive chickens. For prevention of ILT, conventionally attenuated live vaccines are available. However, these vaccine strains are genetically not characterized, and reversions to a virulent phenotype occur. Although molecular analyses of ILTV are hampered by the lack of an optimal cell culture system, the complete nucleotide sequence of the ILTV genome has recently been elucidated, and several ILTV recombinants lacking nonessential, but virulence determining genes have been constructed. Animal trials indicated that genetically engineered stable gene deletion mutants are safe alternatives to the current vaccine strains. Furthermore, since live ILTV vaccines are suitable for fast and inexpensive mass administration, they are promising as vectors for immunogenic proteins of other chicken pathogens. Thus, immunization with ILTV recombinants expressing avian influenza virus hemagglutinin was shown to protect chickens against ILT and fowl plague. Using monospecific antisera and monoclonal antibodies several virion proteins of ILTV have been identified and characterized. Since they include immunogenic envelope glycoproteins, these results can contribute to the improvement of virus diagnostics, and to the development of marker vaccines.

Efficacy of inactivated vaccines against H5N1 avian influenza infection in ducks

The current Asian H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus has spread over much of Asia and into Europe and Africa. As well as affecting village and commercial chicken operations in many South East Asian countries, it differs from past H5 avian influenza viruses in that it causes morbidity and mortalities in other domesticated birds, such as ducks and turkeys and in wild water birds. Effective vaccines that can prevent infection, as well as disease, and be used in a variety of avian species are needed for field use. In this report, a bivalent H5N9+H7N1 oil emulsion vaccine is compared, in ducks, to a monovalent H5N3 oil emulsion vaccine that has been derived by reverse genetics with an H5 from A/chicken/Vietnam/C58/04. While both vaccines protected against morbidity, the monovalent vaccine provided effective protection, with no evidence of shedding of the challenge virus and no serological response to the H5N1 challenge virus.

Newcastle disease virus expressing H5 hemagglutinin gene protects chickens against Newcastle disease and avian influenza

Newcastle disease virus (NDV)-expressing avian influenza virus (AIV) hemagglutinin (HA) of subtype H5 was constructed by reverse genetics. A cloned full-length copy of the genome of the lentogenic NDV strain Clone 30 was used for insertion of the ORF encoding the HA of the highly pathogenic AIV isolate A/chicken/Italy/8/98 (H5N2) in the intergenic region between the NDV fusion and hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) genes. Remarkably, two species of HA transcripts were detected in cells infected with the resultant NDVH5. In a second recombinant (NDVH5m), a NDV transcription termination signal-like sequence located within the HA ORF was eliminated by silent mutations. Consequently, NDVH5m produced 2.7-fold more full-length HA transcripts, expressed higher levels of HA, and also incorporated more HA protein into its envelope than NDVH5. NDVH5m stably expressed the modified HA gene for 10 egg passages and both recombinants were found innocuous after intracerebral inoculation of 1-day-old chickens. Immunization of chickens with NDVH5m induced NDV- and AIVH5-specific antibodies and protected chickens against clinical disease after challenge with a lethal dose of velogenic NDV or highly pathogenic AIV, respectively. Remarkably, shedding of influenza virus was not observed. Furthermore, immunization with NDVH5m permitted serological discrimination of vaccinated and AIV field virus-infected animals based on antibodies against the nucleoprotein of AIV. Therefore, recombinant NDVH5m is suitable as a bivalent vaccine against NDV and AIV and may be used as marker vaccine for the control of avian influenza.

In vitro and in vivo relevance of infectious laryngotracheitis virus gJ proteins that are expressed from spliced and nonspliced mRNAs

The positional homologue in the infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) genome of the glycoprotein gJ gene of herpes simplex virus and the gp2 gene of equine herpesvirus 1 is expressed into four proteins of 85, 115, 160, and 200 kDa (J. Veits, B. Kollner, J. P. Teifke, H. Granzow, T. C. Mettenleiter, and W. Fuchs, Avian Dis. 47:330-342, 2003). RNA analyses revealed that these proteins are expressed from two different late (gamma2) transcripts, an unspliced 5.5-kb and a spliced 4.3-kb mRNA that are translated into proteins of 985 and 611 amino acids, respectively. ILTV gJ is incorporated into virions and is modified by N- and O-linked glycosylation. After cotransfection of chicken cells with genomic DNA of a pathogenic ILTV strain and transfer plasmids, gJ-negative ILTV mutants could be isolated. In vitro growth studies demonstrated that deletion of the gJ gene has only minor effects on direct cell-to-cell spread as measured by plaque size. However, progeny virus titers of ILTV-DeltagJ were significantly reduced in comparison to those of the parental virus and a gJ rescue mutant. After experimental infection of chickens the gJ rescue mutant, like wild-type ILTV, caused severe disease and considerable mortality, whereas ILTV-DeltagJ was significantly attenuated. All immunized animals were protected against subsequent challenge infection with virulent ILTV. In sera collected after immunization with the gJ-rescue mutant or with wild-type ILTV, gJ-specific antibodies were detectable by immunofluorescence on cells that had been transfected with a gJ expression plasmid. As expected, no gJ-specific antibodies were found in sera obtained from chickens immunized with ILTV-DeltagJ. Thus, gJ deletion mutants of ILTV might be usable as attenuated live-virus vaccines. Furthermore, the gJ gene might constitute a reliable marker for serological discrimination between vaccinated and field virus-infected chickens.

Deletion of the non-essential UL0 gene of infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) virus leads to attenuation in chickens, and UL0 mutants expressing influenza virus haemagglutinin (H7) protect against ILT and fowl plague

Infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), a member of the Alphaherpesvirinae, possesses several unique genes. One of them, UL0, encodes an abundantly expressed protein that accumulates in the nuclei of ILTV-infected cells. This study demonstrates that this protein is dispensable for in vitro virus replication and that UL0 deletion mutants exhibit only minor growth defects in cultured cells. The UL0 gene locus of ILTV was also used for insertion of foreign DNA sequences encoding enhanced GFP or haemagglutinin (HA), subtype H7, of a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus under the control of the human cytomegalovirus immediate-early gene promoter. Expression of foreign proteins was shown by (immuno)fluorescence tests and Western blot analyses. After experimental infection of chickens, UL0 deletion mutants proved to be attenuated when compared to both parental wild-type ILTV and an UL0 rescue mutant. Nevertheless, all animals immunized with UL0-negative ILTV were protected from clinical disease after subsequent infection with virulent ILTV. Furthermore, all animals immunized with HA-expressing ILTV survived a lethal challenge with H7 subtype avian influenza virus with minimal clinical signs. Thus, an UL0-negative and HA-expressing ILTV recombinant may be used as a bivalent live virus vaccine against ILT and fowl plague. Unlike inactivated influenza virus vaccines, HA-expressing ILTV recombinants should be suitable for mass application and would also permit serological discrimination between vaccinated and virus-infected animals in the field.

Recombinant Paramyxovirus Type 1-Avian Influenza-H7 Virus as a Vaccine for Protection of Chickens Against Influenza and Newcastle Disease

Current vaccines to prevent avian influenza rely upon labor-intensive parenteral injection. A more advantageous vaccine would be capable of administration by mass immunization methods such as spray or water vaccination. A recombinant vaccine (rNDV-AIV-H7) was constructed by using a lentogenic paramyxovirus type 1 vector (Newcastle disease virus [NDV] B1 strain) with insertion of the hemagglutinin (HA) gene from avian influenza virus (AIV) A/chicken/NY/13142-5/94 (H7N2). The recombinant virus had stable insertion and expression of the H7 AIV HA gene as evident by detection of HA expression via immunofluorescence in infected Vero cells. The rNDV-AIV-H7 replicated in 9-10 day embryonating chicken eggs and exhibited hemagglutinating activity from both NDV and AI proteins that was inhibited by antisera against both NDV and AIV H7. Groups of 2-week-old white Leghorn chickens were vaccinated with transfectant NDV vector (tNDV), rNDV-AIV-H7, or sterile allantoic fluid and were challenged 2 weeks later with viscerotropic velogenic NDV (vvNDV) or highly pathogenic (HP) AIV. The sham-vaccinated birds were not protected from vvNDV or HP AIV challenge. The transfectant NDV vaccine provided 70% protection for NDV challenge but did not protect against AIV challenge. The rNDV-AIV-H7 vaccine provided partial protection (40%) from vvNDV and HP AIV challenge. The serologic response was examined in chickens that received one or two immunizations of the rNDV-AIV-H7 vaccine. Based on hemagglutination inhibition and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests, chickens that received a vaccine boost seroconverted to AIV H7, but the serologic response was weak in birds that received only one vaccination. This demonstrates the potential for NDV for use as a vaccine vector in expressing AIV proteins.

The use of vaccination as an option for the control of avian influenza

Recent epidemics of highly contagious animal diseases included in list A of the Office International des Epizooties, such as foot-and-mouth disease, classical swine fever and avian influenza (AI), have led to the implementation of stamping-out policies resulting in the depopulation of millions of animals. The enforcement of a control strategy based on culling animals that are infected, suspected of being infected or suspected of being contaminated, which is based only on the application of sanitary restrictions on farms, may not be sufficient to avoid the spread of infection, particularly in areas that have high animal densities, thus resulting in mass depopulation. In the European Union, the directive that imposes the enforcement of a stamping-out policy (92/ 40/EC) for AI was adopted in 1992 but was drafted in the 1980s. The poultry industry has undergone substantial changes in the past 20 years, mainly resulting in shorter production cycles and in higher animal densities per territorial unit. Due to these organizational changes, infectious diseases are significantly more difficult to control because of the greater number of susceptible animals reared per given unit of time and due to the difficulties in applying adequate biosecurity measures. The slaughter and destruction of great numbers of animals is also questionable from an ethical point of view. For this reason, mass depopulation has raised serious concerns for the general public and has recently led to very high costs and economic losses for national and federal governments, stakeholders and, ultimately, for consumers. In the past, the use of vaccines in such emergencies has been limited by the impossibility of differentiating vaccinated/infected from vaccinated/non-infected animals. The major concern was that through trade or movement of apparently uninfected animals or products, the disease could spread further or might be exported to other countries. For this reason, export bans have been imposed on countries enforcing a vaccination policy. This review considers the possible strategies for the control of avian influenza infections, bearing in mind the new proposed definition of AI, including the advantages and disadvantages of using conventional inactivated (homologous and heterologous) vaccines and recombinant vaccines. Reference is made to the different control strategies, including the restriction measures to be applied in case of the enforcement of a vaccination policy. In addition, the implications of a vaccination policy on trade are discussed. It is concluded that if vaccination is accepted as an option for the control of AI, vaccine banks, including companion diagnostic tests, must be established and made available for immediate use.

Five unique open reading frames of infectious laryngotracheitis virus are expressed during infection but are dispensable for virus replication in cell culture

The chicken alphaherpesvirus infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) exhibits several unique genetic features including an internal inversion of a conserved part of the unique long genome region. At one end, this inversion is preceded by a cluster of five open reading frames (ORFs) of 335-411 codons, designated ORF A to ORF E, that are not present in any other known herpesvirus genome. In this report we analysed expression of these genes and identified the corresponding viral RNA and protein products. Northern blot analyses showed 3'-coterminal transcripts of ORFs A and B, and monocistronic mRNAs of ORFs C and D. ORF E is part of a 3'-coterminal transcription unit that includes the conserved glycoprotein H and thymidine kinase genes. Monospecific antisera obtained after immunization of rabbits with bacterial fusion proteins allowed detection of the protein products of ORF A (40 kDa), ORF B (34 kDa), ORF C (38 and 30 kDa), ORF D (41 kDa) and ORF E (44 kDa) in ILTV-infected cells. For functional analyses, five virus recombinants possessing deletions within the individual ORFs and concomitant insertions of a reporter gene cassette encoding green fluorescent protein were generated. All virus mutants were replication competent in cell culture, but exhibited reduced virus titres or plaque sizes when compared to wild-type ILTV. These findings indicate that the ILTV-specific ORF A to ORF E genes might be important for virus replication in the natural host organism.

Recent developments in avian influenza research: epidemiology and immunoprophylaxis

Influenza A viruses have been isolated from humans, from several other mammalian species and a wide variety of avian species, among which, wild aquatic birds represent the natural hosts of influenza viruses. The majority of the possible combinations of the 15 haemagglutinin (HA) and nine neuraminidase (NA) subtypes recognized have been identified in isolates from domestic and wild birds. Infection of birds can cause a wide range of clinical signs, which may vary according to the host, the virus strain, the host's immune status, the presence of any secondary exacerbating microorganisms and environmental factors. Most infections are inapparent, especially in waterfowl and other wild birds. In contrast, infections caused by viruses of H5 and H7 subtypes can be responsible for devastating epidemics in poultry. Despite the warnings to the poultry industry about these viruses, in 1997 an avian H5N1 influenza virus was directly transmitted from birds to humans in Hong Kong and resulted in 18 confirmed infections, thus strengthening the pandemic threat posed by avian influenza (AI). Indeed, reassortant viruses, harbouring a combination of avian and human viral genomes, have been responsible for major pandemics of human influenza. These considerations warrant the need to continue and broaden efforts in the surveillance of AI. Control programmes have varied from no intervention, as in the case of the occurrence of low pathogenic (LP) AI (LPAI) viruses, to extreme, expensive total quarantine-slaughter programmes carried out to eradicate highly pathogenic (HP) AI (HPAI) viruses. The adoption of a vaccination policy, targeted either to control or to prevent infection in poultry, is generally banned or discouraged. Nevertheless, the need to boost eradication efforts in order to limit further spread of infection and avoid heavy economic losses, and advances in modern vaccine technologies, have prompted a re-evaluation of the potential use of vaccination in poultry as an additional tool in comprehensive disease control strategies. This review presents a synthesis of the most recent research on AI that has contributed to a better understanding of the ecology of the virus and to the development of safe and efficacious vaccines for poultry.

Expression of Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus Glycoproteins in Escherichia coli and Their Application in Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

Three glycoproteins of infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV), gC, gE, and gp60, were expressed in Escherichia coli as fusion proteins with a 6-histidine tag at their amino termini. The proteins expressed, designated as r-gC, r-gp60, and r-gE, all retain their antigenicity, as revealed by Western blot with chicken antiserum against ILTV. However, only r-gp60 and r-gE, but not r-gC, were found to be soluble. The soluble r-gp60 and r-gE were purified by a nickel column and then used as the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) antigen for detecting ILTV-specific antibodies. The diagnostic potential of r-gE and r-gp60 ELISA was assessed with the use of sera prepared from vaccinated or unvaccinated chickens of either specific-pathogen-free (SPF) or field origins. The result shows that r-gp60 and r-gE ELISA could discriminate vaccinated SPF chickens from unvaccinated ones 2 wk postvaccination. Moreover, r-gp60 and r-gE ELISA could also discriminate vaccinated field flocks from unvaccinated ones. This result indicates that r-gp60 and r-gE might serve as an alternative ELISA antigen for detecting ILTV-specific antibodies. Moreover, r-gp60 or r-gE ELISA might play an important role in the eradication of infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) in the future when the gp60- or gE-deleted marker vaccine of ILT is available.