The effectiveness of a vaccination scheme applied for prevention of ornitobacterium rhinotracheale infection in turkeys reared in farms

Abstract

Infection with Ornitobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT) is a common infectious disease that occurs especially in large agglomerations of birds. In order to reduce the economic losses caused by the increased morbidity and the failure to achieve the weight gain, in a turkey breeding farm located in Codlea, Brasov County, it was required to apply a vaccination scheme against ORT. To determine the immune response after vaccination, a serological screening was performed. Therefore, on Codlea platform that was comprising eight halls, after initially the ORT strain was isolated and characterized, it was applied a vaccination scheme using an auto vaccine produced in Germany by a specialized laboratory – VAXXINOVA. The vaccine was administered by injection at the age of 22 days. After the vaccination, for twelve weeks, ten blood samples were collected from each hall. The blood samples have been serologically tested by ELISA assay to an avian pathology laboratory, Aniconic Labor GmbH, Germany. The results of the serological examination revealed a mean titer of 6447 in the first week of life, of 1421 in the second week and 45 in the third week. Two weeks after the vaccination at the age of 22 days, a titer of 282 was obtained, while at 10 and 12 weeks, the titer increased to 23597 and 23779, respectively. The level of maternal antibody titer against ORT follows a descending curve from the time of hatching, reaching a minimum around week three, followed by an upward curve after 2 weeks post- vaccination. Vaccination with auto vaccine within the Codlea Platform proved to be effective to reduce the percentage of mortality, although the clinical signs do not have disappeared.