Zoetis says new vaccine provides early protection against infectious bursal disease

Zoetis has launched a new vaccine to provide early protection against infectious bursal disease in poultry.

The vaccine, Poulvac Procerta HVT-IBD, protects birds against IBD strains including the predominant AL2 variant, company officials said.

Early protection is important since IBD tends to affect younger birds and is highly immunosuppressive, said Dr. Kalen Cookson, director of clinical research at Zoetis.

“The younger the bird, the more severe the immunosuppression,” Cookson said. “Immunosuppression may predispose birds to costly secondary infections—a greater concern now that nearly 60% of U.S. flocks are raised without antibiotics.”

Additionally, he said, the early immunity provided by the vaccine closes a gap: “Maternal antibodies passed from immunized broiler breeders to broilers start to wane at about 14 days of age. Using Poulvac Procerta HVT-IBD closes the gap between passive immunity provided by hens and active immunity initiated by vaccination.”

In challenge studies, the vaccine, administered in ovo, provided 78% protection at 14 days of age against the AL2 variant, which now accounts for half of the IBD viruses circulating among U.S. broiler flocks, the company said.

The vaccine’s duration of immunity is at least 63 days of age, Cookson said, which is important because IBD can also cause temporary immunosuppression in older birds. This means the vaccine could be valuable for the layer as well as the broiler segments of the industry.

More information on the vaccine and its administration is available from Zoetis.