July 21, 2014

Potential vaccine for Campylobacter discovered

USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation have completed a research project at the USDA Richard B. Russell Agricultural Research Center, Athens, Georgia, that identified a potential vaccine for Campylobacter.

Currently, no vaccines are available to prevent Campylobacter colonisation of poultry.

Researchers for the project purified proteins from Campylobacter and tested them for their potential use as vaccines. One particular protein, called FliD, showed particular promise. This protein is common to all 21 Campylobacter jejuni strains tested and is immunogenic in broilers. These characteristics make it a logical candidate for potential use as a vaccine. Future studies will focus on determining whether this protein can be used as a practical in ovo vaccine.