ADMINISTRATION OF A VACCINE PREPARED FROM THE AUSTRALIAN V4 STRAIN OF NEWCASTLE DISEASE VIRUS BY AEROSOL AND DRINKING WATER

SUMMARY An experimental vaccine containing the avirulent Australian V4 strain of Newcastle disease virus was used to vaccinate 3- or 6-week-old chickens by aerosol and drinking water application. The chickens lacked maternally derived antibody to Newcastle disease virus. When the vaccine virus was diluted in tap water more than 90% of the infectivity was destroyed immediately. The addition of 0.25% skim milk prevented this loss and there was no loss in distilled water. Rates of inactivation at 37°C were similar in tap water and distilled water and were unaffected by the addition of skim milk. Both methods of vaccination resulted in the production of haemagglutination-inhibition antibodies which persisted for at least 8 to 12 weeks. The antibody response to aerosol vaccination was significantly better than that following drinking water vaccination. No clinical disease was induced by exposure to vaccine virus. Serum neutralisation antibodies paralleled those detected by haemagglutination-inhibition in chicks vaccinated once by drinking water. After revaccination through the drinking water, haemagglutination-inhibition antibodies were boosted temporarily while neutralising antibodies were maintained at an enhanced level. From chickens vaccinated by aerosol, Newcastle disease virus was recovered for 10 days from lungs and for 7 days from tracheas and caecal tonsils. Peak viraemia was detected 2 and 3 days after vaccination while both neutralising and haemagglutination-inhibition antibodies became detectable 5 days after vaccination.