An inactivated vaccine based on artificial non-pathogenic fowl adenovirus 4 protects chickens against hepatitis-hydropericardium syndrome.
Hepatitis-hydropericardium syndrome (HHS) in birds is mainly caused by virulent fowl adenovirus 4 (FAdV-4). A novel genotype, hypervirulent FAdV-4, emerged in 2015 with a high mortality rate ranging from 30 % to 100 % in chickens. Vaccination is an economically feasible method to control HHS. Although there have been various reports of inactivated vaccines from virulent wild-type FAdV-4 against HHS, biosafety threats of inactivated vaccines from potential pathogenic components have been presented to the poultry industry, and safer vaccines are urgently needed. A non-pathogenic recombinant FAdV-4 strain, designated as rHN20, was generated based on the hypervirulent strain in our previous study. Here, we developed a novel inactivated oil-adjuvanted vaccine derived from rHN20 strain and evaluated its immunogenicity in specific-pathogen-free chickens. Chickens subcutaneously or intramuscularly immunized with the inactivated vaccine produced high titers of neutralizing antibodies and were protected from a lethal dose of virulent wild-type FAdV-4 challenge. Collectively, an inactivated vaccine was developed, which was capable of providing full protection for chickens against HHS, and significantly reduced the potential biosafety threats.
['Zhang|Yu|Y|', 'Liu|Aijing|A|', 'Cui|Hongyu|H|', 'Qi|Xiaole|X|', 'Liu|Changjun|C|', 'Zhang|Yanping|Y|', 'Li|Kai|K|', 'Gao|Li|L|', 'Wang|Xiaomei|X|', 'Pan|Qing|Q|', 'Gao|Yulong|Y|']
Inactivated vaccine Fowl adenovirus 4 Hepatitis-hydropericardium syndrome Biosafety Recombinant virus