Evaluation of the immune responses of biological adjuvant bivalent vaccine with three different insertion modes for ND and IBD

Abstract

Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is a widespread problem in the poultry industry, and vaccination is the primary preventive method. However, moderately virulent vaccines may damage the bursa, necessitating the development of a safe and effective vaccine. The Newcastle disease virus (NDV) has been explored as a vector for vaccine development. In this study, reverse genetic technology was used to obtain three recombinant viruses, namely, rClone30-VP2L (P/M)-chGM-CSF (NP), rClone30-chGM-CSF (P/M)-VP2L (NP), and rClone30-VP2L-chGM-CSF (P/M). Animal experiments showed that the three biological adjuvant bivalent vaccines effectively increased anti-NDV and anti-infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) titres, enhancing both humoral and cellular immune responses in chickens without leading to any harm. Amongst the three biological adjuvant bivalent vaccines, the rClone30-chGM-CSF (P/M)-VP2L (NP) group had higher levels of anti-NDV antibodies at 14 days after the first immunization and stimulated a greater humoral immune response in 7–10 days. While, the rClone30-VP2L (P/M)-chGM-CSF (NP) group was the most effective in producing a higher level of IBDV antibody response. In conclusion, these three vaccines can induce immune responses more rapidly and effectively, streamline production processes, be cost-effective, and provide a new avenue for the development of Newcastle disease (ND) and IBD bivalent vaccines.