The two bird flu vaccines currently being tested in a field study have been found to protect laying hens from the disease eight weeks after vaccination. The study was carried out by Wageningen Bioveterinary Research (WBVR, part of Wageningen University & Research).
In the field study, which started in September 2023, 1,800 laying hens were vaccinated and housed on two commercial poultry farms. The trial at these two farms will run until the third quarter of 2025. On four occasions during this study, a number of the vaccinated chickens will be brought to WBVR. Here, the chickens will be infected with bird flu to study the effectiveness of the two applied test vaccines against the HPAI H5N1 virus. “We examine virus transmission – transmission – after vaccination, as well as survival rate, virus excretion and immune response. Based on these performances, we assess the effectiveness of the vaccines,” said Evelien Germeraad of WBVR. This first transmission study was conducted eight weeks after vaccination.
The field study is being conducted with two different vaccines: VECTROMUNE AI from CEVA Animale and VAXXITEK HVT-IBD-H5 from Boehringer Ingelheim. None of the vaccinated chickens became infected after contact with the avian influenza virus.
The transmission trial will be repeated three more times during the ongoing field trial.