Combatting Coronaviruses in Chickens
Utrecht University and MSD Animal Health are initiating a public-private partnership to combat the persistent threat of coronaviruses in chickens. This collaborative effort aims to improve poultry health management through the development of innovative vaccines and surveillance tools, marking a significant leap forward in safeguarding chicken welfare and sustainable food production.
Chickens play a crucial role in global food production, yet they face a significant threat from an avian coronavirus called Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV) on farms worldwide. This virus causes disease in chickens resulting in reduced growth and egg quality and pushes farmers to overuse antibiotics. Estimates suggest that IBV-related losses in the poultry industry amount to hundreds of millions of euro’s annually, impacting both producers and consumers. A comprehensive vaccine regime is needed to induce clinical protection against the diverse IBV strains circulating globally. This gap underscores the urgent need for novel vaccination strategies that can effectively combat the evolving landscape of IBV.
To tackle this challenge, researchers at Utrecht University and MSD Animal Health are collaborating to develop advanced vaccines that can give chickens better protection against the different types of IBV. The team will unravel the secrets of immunity against IBV. They will translate this knowledge into cutting-edge vaccines capable
of eliciting broad-spectrum immune responses in poultry. Concurrently, they are designing sophisticated surveillance tools to monitor the ever-changing landscape of IBV strains.
The project's deliverables include understanding the immune responses that provide protection, novel vaccine formulations tailored to provide broad immunity against the evolving landscape of IBV strains, as well as advanced surveillance tools for monitoring of virus variants. These tangible outcomes promise to improve poultry health management, leading to healthier chickens, fewer disease outbreaks, and enhanced food security.
