Vaccination against H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) virus (HPAIV) is one of the possible complementary means available for affected countries to control AI when the disease has become, or with a high risk of becoming, endemic. Efficacy of the vaccination against AI relies essentially, but not exclusively, on the capacity of the vaccine to induce immunity against the targeted virus (which is prone to undergo antigenic variations), as well as its capacity to overcome interference with maternal immunity transmitted by immunized breeding hens to their progeny. This property of the vaccine is a prerequisite for its administration at the hatchery, which assures higher and more reliable vaccine coverage of the populations than vaccination at the farm. A recombinant vector vaccine (Vectormune® AI), based on turkey herpesvirus expressing the hemagglutinin gene of an H5N1 HPAIV as an insert, has been used in several experiments conducted in different research laboratories, as well as in controlled field trials. The results have demonstrated a high degree of homologous and cross protection against different genetic clades of the H5N1 HPAIV. Furthermore, vaccine-induced immunity was not impaired by the presence of passive immunity, but on the contrary, cumulated with it for improved early protection. The demonstrated levels of protection against the different challenge viruses exhibited variations in terms of postchallenge mortality, as well as challenge virus shedding. The data presented here highlight the advantages of this vaccine as a useful and reliable tool to complement biosecurity and sanitary policies for better controlling the disease due to HPAIV of H5 subtypes, when the vaccination is applied as a control measure.
Keywords: avian influenza; field trials; hatcheries; rHVT-H5 vector vaccine; vaccination.