Research Projects

Avian Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) is a highly contagious disease of all age group of poultry. The disease has been reported from Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal, Karnataka and TamilNadu along with several unreported cases in the other states of the country. Till date, vaccination against ILT has not been practiced in the country due to non-availability of indigenous as well as any licensed imported vaccine. Several studies worldwide indicated that considerable level of residual virulent of attenuated virus and subsequently reversion to virulent by birds to bird passages leads to clinical disease and latent infection. Similar finding was also reported in India, where, use of banned live ILT vaccine in Palladam poultry farms leads to disease outbreaks. Therefore, a safe and highly potent indigenous ILT vaccine is essentially required to meet out the demand of the poultry farmers for effective prevention and control of ILT virus infection. With the advent of viral vector based vaccine platform, several commercial safe and effective viral vector based vaccines now available in the market in the recent years. Induction of CMI, AMI and also mucosal immunity with no chances of reversion to virulence is the major benefit of the live viral vector vaccine over ILTV chicken embryo origin live vaccine. At present more than five fowppox virus (FPV) based vaccines (ND, IBD, AIV, ILT and Mycoplasma gallisepticum) and five recombinant virus vector (Fowlpox and HVT) based ILT vaccine are commercially available worldwide. Presently, in the country neither indigenous nor imported commercial ILT vaccine is available for control of ILT infection. Therefore, it is an urgent need to develop ILT vaccine in the country to meet out the demand of the same. The proposed works are on the similar direction with the aim to develop a combined ILT-FP vaccine that provides dual protection against both FP and ILT. Recombinant fowlpox virus (rFPV) expressing immunogenic gB protein gene of ILT will be generated and evaluated for immunogenic potential against both viruses in the vaccinated chicks. Live FPV vaccine strain will be used for generation of rFPV. Briefly, left & right homologous arms (LHA and RHA) of FPV will be amplified and cloned in to transfer vector. On the other hand, amplified gB protein of ILT and GFP gene will be cloned in to synthetic gene plasmid construct having poxvirus promoters. The final transfer vector will be generated by sub-cloning of synthetic gene cassette flanked with LHA and RHA of FPV. Primary CEF cells will be infected with cell culture adapted FPV followed by transfection of linearized transfer vector. Cre-loxP recombination technique will be used for removable of GFP gene. rFPV expressing gB gene of ILT will be confirmed by indirect FAT using gB specific MAb. Safety and immunogenicity rFPV-ILLT vaccine candidate will be determined as per Indian Pharmacopoeia method