Food-Based Newcastle Disease V<sub>4</sub> Vaccine In Guinea Fowl (Numida Meleagris Galeata Pallas) In Nigeria

Abstract

The efficacy trial of the feed-based Newcastle disease V4 (NDV4HR) vaccine was carried out on guinea fowl (Numida meleagris galeata, Pallas) in Maiduguri, Nigeria between December 2000 and March 2001. Eighty-five guinea fowls divided into 17 experimental groups of 5 birds per group were used in the study. The trial involved monitoring the immune response and determining the degree of immune protection of birds over a period of time after oral or intraocular vaccination with vaccine alone or when administered through parboiled rice, partly ground maize or sorghum and commercial poultry feed as vaccine vehicles in the food-based vaccine. Following vaccination of birds with either NDV4HR vaccine alone or as a food-based vaccine, the birds developed different reciprocal antibody geometric mean titres (GMT; GMT ranged from 10 to 226). The titre and the proportion of immuned birds in NDV4HR and La Sota- vaccinated birds were comparable when, administered individually to the birds through the oral route. However, the La Sota vaccine elicited higher titres when the two vaccines were administered intraocularly. The titres and the proportion of immuned birds vaccinated with maize-based or sorghum-based NDV4HR vaccine were significantly higher than those obtained with the parboiled rice-based and commercial feed-based vaccines. In all groups of birds, the titre peaked on day 21 after vaccination but then declined gradually. Nevertheless, booster vaccination of all groups of birds on day 49 post-primary vaccination resulted in significant increase in the titres and protection. Only the groups of birds vaccinated directly with vaccine alone had no mortality following artificial challenge with the virulent strain of ND virus. Keywords : Food-based Newcastle disease V 4 vaccine, guinea fowl. Nigeria. Tropical Veterinarian Vol. 24 (3) 2006: pp. 37-45