USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announce the completion of a funded research project at the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga., in which the researchers reveal the mystery behind an important poultry vaccine. The research project is part of the Association’s comprehensive research program encompassing all phases of poultry and egg production and processing. A brief summary of the completed project is shown below. A complete report, along with information on other Association research, may be obtained by going to USPOULTRY’s website, www.uspoultry.org. The project summary is as follows.
- Project #F062: Identifying Amino Acids in the Spike Protein Critical for Arkansas-DPI Vaccine Binding
(Dr. Brian Jordan and Dr. Mark Jackwood, Department of Population Health & Poultry Science, University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.)
Dr. Brian Jordan and Dr. Mark Jackwood recently completed a research project where they looked at the complex makeup of a very commonly used poultry vaccine, the Arkansas infectious bronchitis vaccine. Although used for years in the United States, there has long existed an understanding that the vaccine was not always highly efficacious. The researchers found that the vaccine contains viral subpopulations that vary slightly genetically and that these slight variations account for the varied response that may be seen with the vaccine. This understanding provides the basis for development of an improved vaccine.
