Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8505347 | Veterinary Microbiology | 2018 | 25 Pages |
Abstract
Duck viral hepatitis type I is a rapidly spreading infection lethal in young ducklings, caused by the duck hepatitis A virus (DHAV). Vaccination of breeder ducks is a common practice to control DHAV. However, maintaining proper maternal antibody levels in large flocks is difficult. Therefore, a simple vaccination strategy that can induces stable high antibody levels through mass vaccination is desirable. We evaluated a DHAV vaccination strategy for breeder ducks involving oral administration under field conditions, and examined the kinetics of antibody response in the ducks and their progeny. The strategy included a primary intramuscular vaccination, followed by secondary and tertiary oral vaccinations. Five weeks after the primary vaccination, virus-neutralizing antibody titers increased by 8.4â¯Â±â¯1.3 log2. The titers remained stable at around 9.0â¯Â±â¯1.1 log2 for up to 36 weeks. None of the progeny died when challenged with virulent DHAV at 1, 7 or 14 days of age. The transfer percentage of antibodies from the breeder ducks to their progeny was 12.8â¯Â±â¯3.0%. When antibody levels of the progeny were measured from the day of hatching to 20 days of age, the levels steadily declined, reaching a mean titer of 0 log2 at 20 days. The half-life of the maternally derived antibodies against DHAV was 3.4â¯Â±â¯1.1 days. Our vaccination strategy might be effective in breeder ducks because it can be easily applied and induced strong immunity. Moreover, our results might provide a foundation for the mechanistic study of maternally derived antibodies in passive protection.
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Authors
Jae-Hee Roh, Min Kang,