USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announce the completion of a funded research project at the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga., in which researchers developed new tools and methods leading to improved vaccines for reovirus. The research was made possible by an endowing gift from Mar-Jac Poultry, and 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 #693: Production of Variant Reovirus Hyperimmune Serum for Use as a Diagnostic Tool to Further Characterize Avian Reoviruses from Clinical Cases of Tenosynovitis
Dr. Holly Sellers and colleagues at the Poultry Diagnostic & Research Center at the University of Georgia recently completed a research project in which new tools and methods were developed to classify the reoviruses that have been causing tendon damage in broilers throughout the U.S. broiler industry. Sellers developed antiserum to each genetically distinct group of the viruses and used the antiserum to determine the serotypes of the viruses. Knowledge of the serotypes will allow more informed and precise selection of virus isolates for inclusion in future vaccines.