Comparative in vivo safety and efficacy of a glycoprotein G-deficient candidate vaccine strain of infectious laryngotracheitis virus delivered via eye drop.

Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) is an acute respiratory disease in poultry that is commonly controlled by vaccination with conventionally attenuated virus strains. Despite the use of these vaccines, ILT remains a threat to the intensive poultry industry. Our laboratory has developed a novel candidate vaccine strain of infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) lacking glycoprotein G (ΔgG-ILTV). The aim of the present study was to directly compare this candidate vaccine with three currently available commercial vaccines in vivo. Five groups of specific-pathogen-free chickens were eye-drop inoculated with one of the three commercial vaccine strains (SA2-ILTV, A20-ILTV or Serva-ILTV), or ΔgG-ILTV, or sterile medium. Vaccine safety was assessed by examining clinical signs, weight gain and persistence of virus in the trachea. Vaccine efficacy was assessed by scoring clinical signs and conducting post-mortem analyses following challenge with virulent virus. Following vaccination, birds that received ΔgG-ILTV had the highest weight gain among the vaccinated groups and had clinical scores that were significantly lower than birds vaccinated with SA2-ILTV or A20-ILTV, but not significantly different from those of birds vaccinated with Serva-ILTV. Analysis of clinical scores, weight gain, tracheal pathology and virus replication after challenge revealed a comparable level of efficacy for all vaccines. Findings from this study further demonstrate the suitability of ΔgG-ILTV as a vaccine to control ILT.