THE RESPONSE OF AUSTRALIAN CHICKENS NATURALLY INFECTED WITH AVIRULENT NEWCASTLE DISEASE VIRUS TO CHALLENGE WITH VELOGENIC NEWCASTLE DISEASE VIRUS

SUMMARY Sixty-eight breeder chickens, 4 to 12 months of age, were taken from Australian flocks that had been naturally infected with avirulent Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and transported by air to Malaysia. Nearly all the breeders had haemagglutination inhibition antibodies to NDV, at titres of from 2 to 128. Thirty-two were inoculated intranasally with an Asian, velogenic, viscerotropic strain of NDV and all survived this challenge. Thirty-six were exposed to contact infection with the same velogenic NDV and 2 died of Newcastle disease within 14 days. The levels of haemagglutination inhibition antibodies against NDV increased in the surviving breeders after challenge, reaching 2048 or greater in a few birds. Velogenic NDV was isolated from a cloacal swab from one clinically normal breeder 10 days after challenge by contact. Cloacal swabs taken 7 to 10 days after challenge from another 23 breeders yielded no NDV. Twenty-four broilers, 7 weeks of age, were also transported from Australia to Malaysia. All lacked detectable haemagglutination inhibition antibody to NDV and they were from a flock with no detectable antibody to NDV. Twelve were challenged with velogenic NDV intranasally and 12 were subjected to contact challenge. All broilers died of Newcastle disease within 13 days.     

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.     

THE SEROLOGICAL RESPONSE OF CHICKENS TO AUSTRALIAN LENTOGENIC STRAINS OF NEWCASTLE DISEASE VIRUS

SUMMARY: Australian lentogenic Newcastle disease viruses were evaluated as uninactivated vaccines in Australian chickens, the response being evaluated by the production of haemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibodies. Two viruses, V4 and PM9, induced high levels of antibody and were readily transmissible between chickens by contact exposure. Three other viruses were poorly immunogenic and poorly transmissible. Chickens vaccinated intramuscularly with the V4 strain produced higher HI antibody titres than chickens vaccinated by the orotracheal, intranasal and intraocular routes. HI antibody titres in chickens vaccinated with the V4 strain reached peak levels 3 to 5 weeks after vaccination and waned considerably during the next 2 to 4 weeks. However, low levels of HI antibody persisted for at least 36 weeks after vaccination. Intramuscular vaccination with the V4 strain of one-day-old chicks lacking maternal antibody to Newcastle disease virus resulted in 42–70% mortality and the survivors developed very high titres of HI antibody. Similar chickens inoculated orotracheally showed signs of depression and developed high titres of HI antibody, but there were no mortalities. Chickens 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-weeks-old and lacking maternally derived HI antibody to Newcastle disease virus suffered no adverse reaction to intramuscular or orotracheal vaccination. The antibody response of the 1-week-old chickens was considerably poorer than that of the older chickens. Following orotracheal vaccination with the V4 strain, chickens with low levels of maternally derived antibody responded with low levels of HI antibody. On the other hand, in the progeny of hens hyperimmunised with the V4 strain the production of active antibody following orotracheal vaccination was delayed until the level of passive antibody had declined considerably. There was no response to intramuscular vaccination in congenitally hyperimmune chickens. The minimum HI antibody inducing dose of V4 vaccine, when measured 3 weeks after vaccination of 6-weeks-old chickens, was 10^5.6 50% egg infectious doses.     

间接法DOT—ELISA检测新城疫病毒的研究

本文首次成功地建立了间接法Dot-ELISA检测新城疫病毒,对新城疫发病鸡群口咽、泄殖腔拭子的NDV抗原阳性检出率分别为58.33％(91/156)、62.50％(90/144),两者没有显著差异(P>0.05),结果表明,间接法Dot-ELISA对新城疫的早期诊断具有简单、快速、经济、敏感性高、特异性强和重复性好等优点,是疫病早期诊断与流行病学调查的有效手段。     

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE AUSTRALIAN V4 STRAIN OF NEWCASTLE DISEASE VIRUS AS A VACCINE BY SPRAY, AEROSOL AND DRINKING WATER ADMINISTRATION

SUMMARY An Australian strain of Newcastle disease virus, was evaluated for use as a vaccine following its administration by drinking water, aerosol and spray to chickens at 1 and 21 days of age. Haemagglutination inhbition antibody was produced and persisted for 11 weeks. Aerosol vaccination induced higher levels of haemagglutination inhibition antibody than the other methods of vaccination. No respiratory disease was observed following vaccination. Chickens vaccinated by aerosol and spray were fully protected when challenged at 5, 7 and 11 weeks of age with virulent Newcastle disease virus. Mortality of 10 to 30 per cent was observed in chickens vaccinated by drinking water and intranasally following challenge.     

CpG寡核苷酸增强鸡新城疫疫苗免疫效力的研究

为了探讨CpG寡核苷酸（CpG oligonucleotide,CpG ODN）对鸡新城疫疫苗免疫效力的影响,将CpG2007与鸡淋巴细胞共孵育,测定淋巴细胞增殖率,结果发现CpG2007对鸡淋巴细胞具有显著的刺激活性。将CpG2007与不同浓度的新城疫抗原混合,制备灭活疫苗,免疫健康雏鸡。分别于免疫后不同时间采血,测定抗体效价和细胞因子表达量,并进行攻毒保护试验。结果发现,添加CpG ODN佐剂的试验组均比对应相同抗原剂量的免疫对照组的抗体水平高,产生抗体速度快;抗原剂量降低10倍的佐剂试验组与高抗原剂量免疫对照组抗体水平和攻毒保护率均相当,表明CpG ODN能显著增强新城疫疫苗的免疫效力,能促进机体产生更强烈的免疫应答,是有效的疫苗佐剂候选物质。     

密码子优化增强新城疫病毒DNA疫苗的表达水平和免疫效果

为提高新城疫病毒（Newcasti Disease Virus,NDV）F基因DNA疫苗的表达量,增强其免疫效果。按照鸡体内偏嗜性密码子人工合成了NDV F48E9株的F基因optiF,插入到真核表达载体pVAX1中获得pVAX1-optiF。将F48E9株的F基因pVAX1-F与pVAX1-optiF分别转染COS-7细胞,72h后间接免疫荧光和Western blot检测细胞中瞬时表达的F蛋白。将质粒pVAX1、pVAX1-F和pVAX1-optiF以200μg／只的剂量分别股四头肌多点注射18只2周龄SPF鸡,2周后加强免疫1次,同时设立PBS对照。二免2周后每组取12只鸡以100EID50的F48E9株NDV强毒进行攻毒,评价这2种DNA疫苗的免疫效果。结果表明,F基因密码子的优化可显著提高NDVDNA疫苗诱导的保护性体液免疫和细胞免疫应答水平,攻毒后所有pVAX1-optiF免疫鸡均获得保护（12／12）,而pVAX1-F组保护率只有17％（2／12）。DNA疫苗的免疫效果与抗原基因的表达量及表达抗原的免疫原性有直接关系。与未经修饰的F基因相比,修饰后的F基因体外瞬时表达水平明显提高。     

新城疫病毒特异性糖蛋白基因探针的制备及应用

应用ＲＴ－ＰＣＲ获取新城疫病毒Ｆ４８Ｅ８株的部分囊膜糖蛋白基因片段。扩增产物经琼脂糖凝胶电泳分析,长为９２６ｂｐ,与预期结果相符;将该基因片段定向克隆入质粒载体ＰＵＣ１９只,得到重组质粒Ｐ９２６,酶切分析结果与已发表的ＮＤＶ毒株酶切位点一致。     

鹌鹑对新城疫病毒的易感性试验

用从新城疫病死鹌鹑中分离的新城疫病毒(NDV)株(QNDV-1)和鸡新城疫毒株(F_(48)E_8),对5日龄、10日龄、25日龄、35日龄和70日龄等不同日龄鹌鹑进行了感染试验,并用15日龄鹌鹑做了呼吸道、肌肉注射、皮下注射、脑内注射、静脉注射和消化道等不同途径的感染试验。结果表明:供试不同日龄鹌鹑均可被感染发病,并出现和自然病例同样的症状或死亡,随着日龄增长,死亡率有降低趋势,70日龄鹌鹑(成年产卵)出现同自然病例同样的产卵量下降和产出异常卵现象;不同途径均可使鹌鹑感染发病或死亡,其中以脑内注射和静脉注射所表现的发病或死亡最为急剧;从病死鹌鹑中可重新收回到新城疫病毒,发病耐过鹌鹑可产生特异性抗体。     

SIMULATED NATURAL INFECTION OF CHICKENS WITH AUSTRALIAN LENTOGENIC NEWCASTLE DISEASE VIRUS AND SUBSEQUENT CHALLENGE WITH VIRULENT VIRUS

A total of 291 eight-week-old chickens were exposed to chickens infected with either of two Australian lentogenic strains (V4 and AVL NDV-1) of Newcastle disease virus (NDV). At 3 weeks after exposure, all chickens exposed to V4 infected chickens had developed haemagglutination-inhibition (HI) antibody. All chickens exposed to AVL NDV-1 virus infected chickens had developed HI antibody 5 weeks later. This sudden late appearance of HI antibody, to titres higher than those observed with V4 chickens, was explained by V4 virus being introduced to the AVL NDV-1 group of chickens. When groups of these chickens were challenged with Roakin virus (mesogenic NDV) at 3 weeks and Fontana 1083 virus (viscerotropic velogenic NDV) and Texas GB virus (neutrotropic NDV) at 3, 5, 10 and 21 weeks only three chickens developed clinical illness one of which died. These chickens were one AVL NDV-1 chicken contact challenged with Fontana 1083 virus at 3 weeks, one V4 chicken oronasally challenged with Texas GB virus at 5 weeks and one V4 chicken challenged oronasally with Fontana 1083 virus at 10 weeks. Susceptible non-vaccinated chickens died soon after challenge. Challenge by oronasal infection with 10(7.0) ELD50 of virus or contact with susceptible infected chickens enabled virulent virus to be isolated from most chickens and was accompanied by a large anamnestic increase in serum HI antibody.     

THE ISOLATION OF LENTOGENIC STRAINS OF NEWCASTLE DISEASE VIRUS IN AUSTRALIA

SUMMARY Twelve isolations of Newcastle disease virus were made from 77 clinical samples from chickens with conjunctivitis, respiratory disease, proventriculitis and bursal atrophy. Nine of the Isolations were made from chickens with conjunctivitis. The viruses were identified as Newcastle disease virus by inhibition of their haemagglutinins with specific antiserum to Newcastle disease virus. The viruses failed to kill chicken embryos after inoculation into the allantoic cavity and they were judged to be lentogenic strains. There was no evidence that the Newcastle disease viruses were responsible for any of the clinical conditions from which they were isolated. The presence of other agents in 10 of the samples was indicated by reduced production of haemagglutinin in allantoic fluids of infected embryos, by deaths of infected embryos, by the production of cytopathic changes in avian cell cultures and by electron microscopy. Three isolations of infectious bronchitis virus, 2 of avian adenovirus and one of avian reovirus were made. Other samples were suspected of containing infectious bronchitis virus and mycoplasmas, but these were not isolated. The Newcastle disease viruses failed to produce plaques in chicken embryo fibroblast cell cultures and they were separated from the contaminating agents by haemagglutination and elution followed by passage at terminal dilution in chick embryos. No Newcastle disease virus was isolated from 60 caecal tonsils and 60 lung samples from 9-week-old broiler chickens. Eight lung samples yielded mycoplasmas that caused haemadsorption in chicken cell cultures. The mycoplasmas were probably Mycoplasma gallisepticum.