June 8, 2022

 

University of Wisconsin team works on avian flu vaccine as disease threatens US poultry

 

To prepare for and help prevent future bird flu outbreaks in the United States, researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine are developing an avian flu vaccine to protect poultry flocks and prevent widespread circulation of the virus.

 

Adel Talaat, a professor of pathobiological sciences at the School of Veterinary Medicine, is in the process of developing a vaccine that would offer domestic birds protection from current and future strains of the virus that emerge over time.

 

The vaccine technology he is implementing, called a nanovaccine, uses tiny particles (smaller than the width of a human hair) to deliver immunity by sending pathogen-like signals to cells.

 

"When dealing with animals, especially poultry, it's important to keep in mind that we would need to be able to vaccinate an entire flock," Talaat said. "We also need to think about how to make this technology inexpensive so it will be economically viable."

 

Talaat's vaccine development work relies on genetic sequence data gathered from many different strains of avian influenza — data made available by testing and surveillance programmes like the one in place at the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (WVDL).

 

The WVDL's team of diagnostic scientists, led by virology section chief Ailam Lim, conducts diagnostic and surveillance testing to identify positive cases of avian influenza as quickly as possible.

 

When a positive case is identified, the United  Department of Agriculture and Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection work to establish a zone of control, limiting the movement of birds in and out of the affected area.

 

While avian flu vaccines are currently available, they are not being used on a large scale on poultry farms as this hinders the ability to conduct surveillance testing, which helps detect the virus in unvaccinated flocks and limit the spread of the disease.

 

A future vaccine would need to be effective for all different strains of the virus, as it changes over time, to be feasible for widespread use.

 

Although Talaat's vaccine is not yet available for commercial use, he hopes it will help protect flocks from future outbreaks of avian influenza.

 

Such outbreaks are becoming more frequent, the reasons for which remain under investigation.

- School of Veterinary Medicine