Breakthroughs happen quite often because the human mind is restless. One of the latest breakthroughs was the development of the mRNA vaccine for COVID-19. It is a breakthrough not only because it is saving us from the present pandemic, but because it is a technology different from the previous vaccines.
Just recently, our colleague journalist Elizabeth Doughman published a news item about the use of the new mRNA technology in poultry vaccines, particularly for bronchitis and infectious laryngotracheitis. She wrote that an expert from the USDA said that this is the "beginning of a revolution in vaccine development for production animals."
The advantages are so many, ranging from a quick adaptation to mutating strains to the fact that it is chemically synthesized. It would not be surprising that in the near future we will see this and other technologies in many other vaccines for humans as well as for animals.
As a matter of fact, let's remember that at least one Mexican animal health lab is developing a COVID-19 vaccine with a technology using the SARS-CoV spike protein and a recombinant Newcastle disease virus. Would they be applying this technology to the other products for animal health? Are there other animal health companies working on this?
Zoonosis seems to be in "fashion" nowadays. The highly contagious avian flu virus seems to be transmitted to people. There are at least a few cases detected in Russia (H5N8) and China (H10N3). If this is actually happening, pharmaceutical companies may be developing another vaccine for this disease, hopefully before it spreads all over. Will this be also a solution for the highly pathogenic avian flu virus strains that affect the poultry industry so badly?
Let's hope for the best.
What do you think?
