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Immunology and Vaccines against Avian Infectious Diseases

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A special issue of Vaccines (ISSN 2076-393X). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Vaccines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 21734

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Alexander Yitbarek

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Guest Editor

Department of Animal Science, McGill University, 21111 Lakeshore Road, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC H9X 3V9, Canada
Interests: gut health; necrotic enteritis; clostridium perfringens; avian immunology; mucosal immunity; immunity to viruses; host-microbiome interaction; immunogenicity of vaccine

Dr. Jegarubee Bavananthasivam

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Guest Editor

Human Health Therapeutics, National Research Council Canada, 100 Sussex Dr., Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, Canada
Interests: host immune responses; virus–host interactions; immunogenicity of vaccines; mucosal immunity; pathogenesis; trained immunity; infectious diseases
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Avian immunology is still in the early stages compared to the advancement and knowledge of mammalian immune systems. In addition, infections of microbial pathogens are a problem to avian health and cause an economic challenge primarily to the poultry industry. Furthermore, the effectiveness of vaccination is compromised due to continuing evolution of some of the pathogens and the emergence of new variants. To overcome these hurdles and develop effective control and preventive measures, clear insight into the host immune responses against infectious diseases and vaccines is essential. Current research in infectious diseases using cutting-edge technologies and novel approaches helps understand the mechanism of immune responses of vaccines and microbial pathogens in avian species.

This Special Issue focuses on recent research progress in host immune responses, vaccine-mediated immune responses, and host-microbial interaction in avian species. It will provide an opportunity to share the evolving knowledge on avian immunology, microbiology, and vaccinology in the aspect of infectious diseases to scholars working in this area. Besides, this issue will also consider the developing knowledge on the avian immune system and other immune-related conditions affecting the avian host.

In this Special Issue of Vaccines, original research articles, systematic reviews, perspectives, communications, and case reports are welcome. Research areas include, but are not limited to, the immune responses to viral, bacterial, and parasitic infection, development of vaccines, novel approaches to induce protective innate and adaptive immune responses in the host, microbial-host interaction, and vaccine adjuvants. We encourage scientists to publish their experimental results and conceptual summary in this Special issue.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Alexander Yitbarek
Dr. Jegarubee Bavananthasivam
Guest Editors

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Vaccines is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

infectious disease
viral infection
bacterial infection
parasitic infection
host-pathogen interaction
vaccine adjuvant
chicken
vaccine
innate responses
adaptive immune response

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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19 pages, 3211 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Efficacy of Two Vaccination Strategies against Infectious Bronchitis in Laying Hens

by Ahmed Ali, Mohamed S. H. Hassan, Shahnas M. Najimudeen, Muhammad Farooq, Salama Shany, Mounir Mohamed El-Safty, Adel A. Shalaby and Mohamed Faizal Abdul-Careem

Vaccines 2023, 11(2), 338; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines11020338 - 2 Feb 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3212

Abstract

Vaccination remains the leading control method against infectious bronchitis (IB) in poultry despite the frequently observed IB outbreaks in vaccinated flocks. Here, two vaccination regimes were evaluated against challenge with the Massachusetts (Mass) infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) strain that was linked to egg production defects in Western Canada. One vaccination strategy included live attenuated IB vaccines only, and the other used both inactivated and live attenuated IB vaccines. The two immunization programs involved priming with a monovalent live attenuated IB vaccine (Mass serotype) at day-old, followed by intervals of bivalent live attenuated IB vaccines containing the Mass and Connecticut (Conn) serotypes given to the pullets at 2-, 5-, 9-, and 14-week-old. Inactivated IB vaccine (Mass serotype) was administrated to only one group of the vaccinated birds at 14-week-old. At the peak of lay, the hens were challenged with the Mass IBV isolate (15AB-01) via the oculo-nasal route. The efficacy of the vaccines was assessed following the challenge by observing clinical signs, egg production, egg quality parameters, seroconversion, and systemic T-cell subsets (CD4+ and CD8+ cells). Moreover, the viral genome loads in the oropharyngeal (OP) and cloacal (CL) swabs were quantified at predetermined time points. At 14 days post-infection (dpi), all the hens were euthanized, and different tissues were collected for genome load quantification and histopathological examination. Post-challenge, both vaccination regimes showed protection against clinical signs and exhibited significantly higher albumen parameters, higher anti-IBV serum antibodies, and significantly lower levels of IBV genome loads in OP swabs (at 3 and 7 dpi) and trachea and cecal tonsils compared to the mock-vaccinated challenged group. However, only the birds that received live attenuated plus inactivated IB vaccines had significantly lower IBV genome loads in CL swabs at 7 dpi, as well as decreased histopathological lesion scores and IBV genome loads in magnum compared to the mock-vaccinated challenged group, suggesting a slightly better performance for using live attenuated and inactivated IB vaccines in combination. Overall, the present findings show no significant difference in protection between the two vaccination regimes against the Mass IBV challenge in laying hens. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Immunology and Vaccines against Avian Infectious Diseases)

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9 pages, 686 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Immune Evaluation of Avian Influenza Virus HAr Protein Expressed in Dunaliella salina in the Mucosa of Chicken

by Inkar Castellanos-Huerta, Gabriela Gómez-Verduzco, Guillermo Tellez-Isaias, Guadalupe Ayora-Talavera, Bernardo Bañuelos-Hernández, Víctor Manuel Petrone-García, Isidro Fernández-Siurob and Gilberto Velázquez-Juárez

Vaccines 2022, 10(9), 1418; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10091418 - 29 Aug 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2316

Abstract

Avian influenza (AI) is a serious threat to the poultry industry worldwide. Currently, vaccination efforts are based on inactivated, live attenuated, and recombinant vaccines, where the principal focus is on the type of virus hemagglutinin (HA), and the proposed use of recombinant proteins of AI virus (AIV). The use of antigens produced in microalgae is a novel strategy for the induction of an immune response in the mucosal tissue. The capacity of the immune system in poultry, particularly in mucosa, plays an important role in the defense against pathogens. This system depends on a complex relationship between specialized cells and soluble factors, which confer protection against pathogens. Primary lymphoid organs (PLO), as well as lymphocytic aggregates (LA) such as the Harderian gland (HG) and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT), actively participate in a local immune response which is mainly secretory IgA (S-IgA). This study demonstrates the usefulness of subunit antigens for the induction of a local and systemic immune response in poultry via ocular application. These findings suggest that a complex protein such as HAr from AIV (H5N2) can successfully induce increased local production of S-IgA and a specific systemic immune response in chickens. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Immunology and Vaccines against Avian Infectious Diseases)

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14 pages, 3258 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Simultaneous Protective Immune Responses of Ducks against Duck Plague and Fowl Cholera by Recombinant Duck Enteritis Virus Vector Expressing Pasteurella multocida OmpH Gene

by Nisachon Apinda, Anucha Muenthaisong, Paweena Chomjit, Kanokwan Sangkakam, Boondarika Nambooppha, Amarin Rittipornlertrak, Pongpisid Koonyosying, Yongxiu Yao, Venugopal Nair and Nattawooti Sthitmatee

Vaccines 2022, 10(8), 1358; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10081358 - 19 Aug 2022

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3186

Abstract

Duck enteritis virus and Pasteurella multocida are major duck pathogens that induce duck plague and fowl cholera, respectively, in ducks and other waterfowl populations, leading to high levels of morbidity and mortality. Immunization with live attenuated DEV vaccine containing P. multocida outer membrane protein H (OmpH) can provide the most effective protection against these two infectious diseases in ducks. We have recently reported the construction of recombinant DEV expressing P. multocida ompH gene using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing strategy with the goal of using it as a bivalent vaccine that can simultaneously protect against both infections. Here we describe the findings of our investigation into the systemic immune responses, potency and clinical protection induced by the two recombinant DEV-ompH vaccine constructs, where one copy each of the ompH gene was inserted into the DEV genome at the UL55-LORF11 and UL44-44.5 intergenic regions, respectively. Our study demonstrated that the insertion of the ompH gene exerted no adverse effect on the DEV parental virus. Moreover, ducklings immunized with the rDEV-ompH-UL55 and rDEV-ompH-UL44 vaccines induced promising levels of P. multocida OmpH-specific as well as DEV-specific antibodies and were completely protected from both diseases. Analysis of the humoral and cellular immunity confirmed the immunogenicity of both recombinant vaccines, which provided strong immune responses against DEV and P. multocida. This study not only provides insights into understanding the immune responses of ducks to recombinant DEV-ompH vaccines but also demonstrates the potential for simultaneous prevention of viral and bacterial infections using viral vectors expressing bacterial immunogens. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Immunology and Vaccines against Avian Infectious Diseases)

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14 pages, 2961 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Efficacy of Commercial Infectious Bronchitis Vaccines against Canadian Delmarva (DMV/1639) Infectious Bronchitis Virus Infection in Layers

by Mohamed S. H. Hassan, Sabrina M. Buharideen, Ahmed Ali, Shahnas M. Najimudeen, Dayna Goldsmith, Carla S. Coffin, Susan C. Cork, Frank van der Meer and Mohamed Faizal Abdul-Careem

Vaccines 2022, 10(8), 1194; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10081194 - 27 Jul 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3085

Abstract

Vaccination is the most important way to control infectious bronchitis (IB) in chickens. Since the end of 2015, the Delmarva (DMV)/1639 strain of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) has caused significant damage to the layer flocks in Eastern Canada. The efficacy of a combination of existing IB vaccines licensed in Canada was assessed against experimental challenge with this IBV strain. The layer pullets were vaccinated during the rearing phase with live attenuated IB vaccines of Massachusetts (Mass) + Connecticut (Conn) types followed by an inactivated IB vaccine of Mass + Arkansas (Ark) types and then challenged with the Canadian IBV DMV/1639 strain at 30 weeks of age. Protection was evaluated based on the egg laying performance, immune responses, viral shedding, and viral genome loads and lesions in IBV target organs. The vaccinated challenged hens were protected from the drop in egg production observed in the non-vaccinated challenged hens. Early (5 dpi) anamnestic serum antibody response was measured in the vaccinated challenged hens as well as a significant level of antibodies was detected in the oviduct washes (14 dpi). In contrast, hens in the non-vaccinated challenged group showed delayed (12 dpi) and significantly lower serum antibody response. Viral RNA loads were reduced in the respiratory, alimentary, and reproductive tissues of the vaccinated challenged hens compared to the non-vaccinated challenged hens. Compared to the control groups, the vaccinated challenged hens had less marked microscopic lesions in the trachea, kidney, magnum, and uterus. Our experimental model demonstrated inconclusive results for cell-mediated immune responses and viral shedding. Overall, the vaccination program used in this study minimized viral replication and histopathological changes in most IBV target organs and protected challenged hens against drop in egg production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Immunology and Vaccines against Avian Infectious Diseases)

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15 pages, 1479 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Transmission of H9N2 Low Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Virus (LPAIV) in a Challenge-Transmission Model

by Sugandha Raj, Jake Astill, Nadiyah Alqazlan, Nitish Boodhoo, Douglas C. Hodgins, Éva Nagy, Samira Mubareka, Khalil Karimi and Shayan Sharif

Vaccines 2022, 10(7), 1040; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10071040 - 28 Jun 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2395

Abstract

Migratory birds are major reservoirs for avian influenza viruses (AIV), which can be transmitted to poultry and mammals. The H9N2 subtype of AIV has become prevalent in poultry over the last two decades. Despite that, there is a scarcity of detailed information on how this virus can be transmitted. The current study aimed to establish a direct contact model using seeder chickens infected with H9N2 AIV as a source of the virus for transmission to recipient chickens. Seeder chickens were inoculated with two different inoculation routes either directly or via the aerosol route. The results indicate that inoculation via the aerosol route was more effective at establishing infection compared to the direct inoculation route. Shedding was observed to be higher in aerosol-inoculated seeder chickens, with a greater percentage of chickens being infected at each time point. In terms of transmission, the recipient chickens exposed to the aerosol-inoculated seeder chickens had higher oral and cloacal virus shedding compared to the recipient chickens of the directly inoculated group. Furthermore, the aerosol route of infection resulted in enhanced antibody responses in both seeder and recipient chickens compared to the directly inoculated group. Overall, the results confirmed that the aerosol route is a preferred inoculation route for infecting seeder chickens in a direct contact transmission model. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Immunology and Vaccines against Avian Infectious Diseases)

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20 pages, 2635 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Host Responses Following Infection with Canadian-Origin Wildtype and Vaccine Revertant Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus

by Esraa A. Elshafiee, Ishara M. Isham, Shahnas M. Najimudeen, Ana Perez-Contreras, Catalina Barboza-Solis, Madhu Ravi and Mohamed Faizal Abdul-Careem

Vaccines 2022, 10(5), 782; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10050782 - 16 May 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2360

Abstract

Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) is caused by Gallid herpesvirus-1 (GaHV-1) or infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) and was first described in Canadian poultry flocks. In Canada, ILTV infection is endemic in backyard flocks, and commercial poultry encounters ILT outbreaks sporadically. A common practice to control ILT is the use of live attenuated vaccines. However, outbreaks still occur in poultry flocks globally due to ILTV vaccine strains reverting to virulence and emergence of new ILTV strains due to recombination in addition to circulating wildtype strains. Recent studies reported that most of the ILT outbreaks in Canada were induced by the chicken-embryo-origin (CEO) live attenuated vaccine revertant strains with the involvement of a small percentage of wildtype ILTV. It is not known if the host responses induced by these two ILTV strains are different. The objective of the study was to compare the host responses elicited by CEO revertant and wildtype ILTV strains in chickens. We infected 3-week-old specific pathogen-free chickens with the two types of ILTV isolates and subsequently evaluated the severity of clinical and pathological manifestations, in addition to host responses. We observed that both of the isolates show high pathogenicity by inducing several clinical and pathological manifestations. A significant recruitment of immune cells at both 3 and 7 days post-infection (dpi) was observed in the tracheal mucosa and the lung tissues of the infected chickens with wildtype and CEO vaccine revertant ILTV isolates when compared to uninfected controls. Overall, this study provides a better understanding of the mechanism of host responses against ILTV infection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Immunology and Vaccines against Avian Infectious Diseases)

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21 pages, 12239 KiB

Open AccessSystematic Review

Vaccinating Meat Chickens against Campylobacter and Salmonella: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

by Adriana C. Castelo Taboada and Anthony Pavic

Vaccines 2022, 10(11), 1936; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10111936 - 15 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1937

Abstract

Foodborne enteritis is a major disease burden globally. Two of the most common causative bacterial enteropathogens in humans are Campylobacter and Salmonella species which are strongly associated with the consumption of raw or contaminated chicken. The poultry industry has approached this issue by use of a multi-hurdle method across the production chain to reduce or eliminate this risk. The use of poultry vaccines is one of these control methods. A systematic review and meta-analysis of vaccination effects against caecal Campylobacter and Salmonella were performed on primary research published between 2009 and 2022. Screening was conducted by three reviewers with one reviewer performing subsequent data extraction and one reviewer performing the risk of bias assessment. The confidence in cumulative evidence was evaluated based on the GRADE method. Meta-analyses were performed using standardised mean differences (SMDs) with additional analyses and random effects regression models on intervention effects grouped by the vaccine type. A total of 13 Campylobacter and 19 Salmonella studies satisfied the eligibility criteria for this review. Many studies included multi-arm interventions, resulting in a total of 25 Campylobacter and 34 Salmonella comparators which were synthesised. The analyses revealed a large reduction in pathogen levels; however, many effects required statistical adjustment due to unit of analysis errors. There was a moderate level of confidence in the reduction of Campylobacter by 0.93 SMD units (95% CI: −1.275 to −0.585; p value < 0.001) and a very low level of confidence in the reduction of Salmonella by 1.10 SMD units (95% CI: −1.419 to −0.776; p value < 0.001). The Chi² test for heterogeneity (p value 0.001 and <0.001 for Campylobacter and Salmonella, respectively) and the I² statistic (52.4% and 77.5% for Campylobacter and Salmonella, respectively) indicated high levels of heterogeneity in the SMDs across the comparators. The certainty of gathered evidence was also affected by a high risk of study bias mostly due to a lack of detailed reporting and, additionally for Salmonella, the presence of publication bias. Further research is recommended to source areas of heterogeneity, and a conscious effort to follow reporting guidelines and consider units of analysis can improve the strength of evidence gathered to provide recommendations to the industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Immunology and Vaccines against Avian Infectious Diseases)

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8 pages, 440 KiB

Open AccessCase Report

Autogenous Escherichia coli Vaccine Application as an Innovative Antimicrobial Therapy in Poultry Farming—A Case Report

by Liča Lozica, Céline Sadaf Morteza Gholi, Adaya Kela, Ivan Lošić, Danijela Horvatek Tomić and Željko Gottstein

Vaccines 2022, 10(9), 1567; https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines10091567 - 19 Sep 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2285

Abstract

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is one of the most common bacterial causes of infection in poultry farming. Whether the infection is localized or systemic, a primary or secondary disease, it is most frequently treated through the application of wide-spectrum antimicrobials. Excessive use of antimicrobials in agriculture is significantly contributing to the worldwide rise of antimicrobial resistance, but is also very expensive and often ineffective in the long term. Here, we present a case where a colibacillosis outbreak on a family farm of laying hens was treated using an autogenous vaccine. The birds had septicemia, cellulitis, and severe skin wounds. They were not vaccinated against E. coli, and did not receive any antimicrobials previously. E. coli strains were isolated from the daily mortalities on the farm and used for preparation of the vaccine. Each bird was given an intramuscular injection of the autogenous vaccine. The immunogenicity of the vaccine was tested by the determination of specific antibody levels in the sera of the birds using the in-house ELISA. Shortly after vaccination, the morbidity and mortality rates significantly decreased, and egg production was improved. The application of the autogenous vaccine served as a curative and preventive measure, and has proven to be a very efficient method of antimicrobial therapy. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Immunology and Vaccines against Avian Infectious Diseases)

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