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Highlights: [•] Protective efficacy of gB, gC, and gD of ILTV was studied using NDV vector. [•] Three rNDVs expressing gB, gC, and gD of ILTV were constructed. [•] gD was most efficiently expressed and incorporated into envelope of rNDV. [•] ILTV gD is a major protective immunogen capable of inducing Nabs. [•] rNDV expressing ILTV gD offered complete protection against ILTV and NDV challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is an acute and contagious viral infection of young chickens caused by IBD virus (IBDV). IBDV belongs to genus Avibirnavirus of family Birnaviridae. It is a non-enveloped virus with icosahedral symmetry that contains two segments of double-stranded RNA. The virus affects the lymphoid tissues of chickens, mainly the B cells of bursa of Fabricius, leading to severe and prolonged immunosuppression. VP2, a major structural protein of IBDV, contains antigenic epitopes responsible for induction of neutralizing/protective antibody. In the present study, VP2 gene of IBDV was cloned in a bicistronic vector along with chicken interleukin-2 (chiIL-2) as an adjuvant. An in vivo challenge study of bicistronic DNA vaccine expressing IBDV-VP2 and chicken IL-2 showed effective protection against a lethal IBD infection in chickens. In addition, mortality, gross picture of bursa and histopathological findings demonstrated the efficacy of the vaccine in reducing virulence of the disease. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The avian paramyxoviruses (APMVs) belong to the genus Avulavirus of family Paramyxoviridae. The APMVs are classified into nine serotypes on the basis of hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and neuraminidase inhibition (NI) assays, although some serologic cross-reaction exists. Newcastle disease virus (NDV), which constitutes serotype 1 (APMV-1), is an important pathogen of poultry, but the pathogenic potential of the other APMV serotypes is poorly understood. Although antibodies to APMV -2 to -9 are prevalent in chickens, the effect of prior exposure to these serotypes on susceptibility to NDV infection and disease was not known. In the present study, chickens were immunized with APMV-2 to -9 by the oculo-nasal route and later were challenged by the same route with a highly virulent strain of NDV. Among APMV-2 to -9, only APMV-3 induced serum antibodies that cross-reacted significantly with NDV and had significant NDV-neutralizing activity in vitro. In mock-immunized chickens, challenge NDV replicated throughout the respiratory tract as well as in the brain, spleen, and enteric tract. In contrast, in APMV-3-immunized chickens, challenge NDV replication was restricted to the upper respiratory tract and trachea. Some of the other APMVs also induced partial restriction of challenge NDV replication: for example, challenge NDV was not detected in the brains of APMV-9-immunized chickens, and shedding from the respiratory tract was reduced in chickens immunized with APMV-8 and -9. All of the chickens immunized with APMV-3 survived the NDV challenge; with APMV-2, -7, -8, and -9 the percentage survival was 30%, 20%, 20%, and 52.5%, respectively; whereas none of the chickens immunized with APMV-4, -5, or -6 survived. These results show that prior infection of chickens with APMV-3 induced substantial protection against NDV challenge, whereas prior infection with APMV-2, -7, -8, and -9 can alter subsequent NDV infection. The induction of NDV-neutralizing antibodies was a marker for efficient protection, but partial protection also was observed in their absence. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is the most important cause of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES). Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), the prototype member of the JE serocomplex, belongs to the genus Flavivirus. The immunogenic proteins envelope (E) and non-structural protein 1 (NS1) of JEV are widely explored for the development of vaccines and diagnostics against JEV. However, there are underlying concerns such as the risk of reversion of live-attenuated vaccines to high virulence, the incomplete inactivation of pathogens in inactivated vaccines and partial vaccine coverage. Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is an efficient viral vaccine vector to express several human and animal immunogenic proteins. In the present study, we have developed a recombinant NDV (rNDV), individually expressing the E and NS1 proteins of JEV (rNDV-Ejev and rNDV-NS1jev). The recovered rNDV-Ejev and rNDV-NS1jev were characterized in 9-day-old SPF embryonated chicken eggs and in cell culture. The vaccination of rNDV-Ejev and rNDV-NS1jev showed effective immunity against JEV upon intranasal immunization in BALB/c mice. The rNDVs vaccination produced effective neutralization antibody titers against both NDV and JEV. The cytokine profiling of the vaccinated mice showed an effective Th1 and Th2 mediated immune response. The study also provided an insight that E, when used in combination with NS1 could reduce the efficacy of only E based immunization in mice. Our results suggested rNDV-Ejev to be a promising live viral vectored vaccine against JEV. This study implies an alternative and economical strategy for the development of a recombinant vaccine against JEV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]