Experimental trials with V₄HR and LaSota Newcastle disease virus vaccines administered to chicks via eye drop, drinking water and commercial feed<BR><BR>Essais experimentaux avec des vaccins V₄HR et LaSota contre le virus de la maladie de newcastle administres a l'aide des gouttes pour les yeux, de l'eau potable et des aliments commerciaux

Abstract

Black Harco pullets were vaccinated at 5 weeks of age with a Malaysian V ₄ HR (V ₄ ) or Nigerian LaSota (LaSota) vaccine administered via eye drop (ED), drinking water (DW) or commercial feed (FD) and the antibody (Ab) levels in their sera were determined using haemagglutination inhibition test (HIT) at weekly intervals for 5 weeks (Wk). Determined also was the correlation between the Newcastle disease virus (NDV) Ab titre achieved with the two vaccines administered via the three routes. Protection from death following challenge with a virulent NDV Hert's 33/56 strain at 7 weeks of age was assessed. Immune response and protection was significantly better (P<0.05) in birds vaccinated with V ₄ compared to those vaccinated with LaSota irrespective of route of administration. ED was better than DW and FD but the immune response was not (P>0.05) different from that of DW. Birds vaccinated with V ₄ in FD were better protected (62.5%) than those vaccinated with LaSota in FD (11.1%). It was concluded that V ₄ was more immunogenic and protective than LaSota and ED was the best route of administration of V ₄, which was capable of protecting 62.5% of the birds vaccinated via commercial FD. Key words: Eye drop, feed, LaSota, Newcastle disease, V ₄, water

Bulletin of Animal Health and Production in Africa Vol. 54(2) 2006: 132-143