Enhancement of mucosal immune responses by intranasal co-delivery of Newcastle disease vaccine plus CpG oligonucleotide in SPF chickens in vivo

Immunostimulatory CpG oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) have been tested as immunoadjuvants for various vaccines in mice and human. Findings from previous reports suggest that CpG ODN can be used to enhance magnitude and balance of an immune response while reducing undesirable side effects of commercial vaccine, when delivered by parenteral route. Recently, it has been showed that CpG ODN is a promising mucosal adjuvant in mice, but data on mucosal immune responses induced by CpG ODN in other animals, especially in chickens, are scarce. Herein, we evaluated intranasal (IN) delivery of CpG ODN with newcastle disease (ND) vaccine (NDV) to determine its potential as a mucosal adjuvant to a commercial vaccine. CpG ODN augmented systemic (IgG in serum, T cell proliferation) and mucosal (IgA in intestinal washings and feces) immune responses against antigen. CpG ODN stimulated effectively both systemic and mucosal immune responses when delivered intranasally. Results from this study indicate that stimulatory CpG ODN is a potential effective mucosal adjuvant for the NDV in SPF chickens and may be applicable to husbandry animals.