Can mRNA vaccines protect against poultry diseases too?

The same technology used in COVID-19 vaccines may one day be used against two poultry diseases, infectious bronchitis and infectious laryngotracheitis.

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JurgaR | iStockPhoto.com
JurgaR | iStockPhoto.com

The same technology used in COVID-19 vaccines may one day be used against two poultry diseases, infectious bronchitis and infectious laryngotracheitis.

“I think that this is the beginning of a revolution in vaccine development for production animals. We were totally surprised when the mRNA vaccine for COVID-19 seemed to be working better than the vectored ones,” Stephen Spatz, a microbiologist specializing in endemic poultry viral diseases research at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS), said.

“I think the big challenge right now for using this new mRNA vaccines for production animals is the cost, and whether or not we can get that cost down, but that does not mean we shouldn’t try to see if they will work.”

Spatz is currently researching the technology in a project funded by a grant from the U.S. Poultry and Egg Association (USPOULTRY).

How mRNA vaccines work

The COVID-19 vaccines use messenger RNA (mRNA) encapsulated into a lipid nanoparticle. The mRNA is genetically engineered to provide instructions on how to make a fake copy of the spike protein, a spikelike structure used by the COVID-19 virus to infect cells. 

The immune system learns to recognize these foreign proteins, creating antibodies that can protect the body against future possible infections from COVID-19.

A similar approach could be used to vaccinate against infectious bronchitis and infectious laryngotracheitis, two poultry diseases that affect the respiratory system.

“The beauty of this system is that I can make one vaccine against both diseases because the lipid nanoparticle can encapsulate more than one mRNA,” he explained. 

mRNA vaccine technology offers several other benefits as well, including the ability to quickly adapt to mutating strains, and the lipid nanoparticle encapsulation may be a possible solution to the maternal antibody problem commonly seen with vaccines.

“When we think about mRNA vaccines, these are chemically synthesized so there’s no tissue culture, no bovine serum, no chance of fungal contamination. It removed all of the manufacturing concerns with live biological products, so that’s appealing as well. I think that it’s where the future is,” Spatz concluded.

View our continuing coverage of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

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