Development of a vaccine against avian reovirus infection in broiler chickens

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Avian reoviruses (ARVs) are etiological agents for an economically important emerging poultry disease.Arthrogenic ARVs cause tenosynovitis/arthritis syndrome which is characterized by unilateral or bilateralswelling of the hock joint resulting in lameness. Depending on the severity, ARV infection results in poorgrowth and poor production, and sometimes death, causing considerable economic losses to the poultryindustry. While commercial vaccines are available, the incidence of emerging virulent strains of ARV thatcontinue to impact the Canadian poultry industry suggest that current vaccines are not effective againstcirculating ARV strains. Vaccination is the preferred means to protect broiler chickens from ARV infection.Currently, some farms in Canada use autogenous vaccines to prevent ARV infection in chickens; however,autogenous vaccines induce unpredictable immunity and have limited potential as a dedicated control measureagainst ARVs. There is no effective vaccine available against the emerging ARV strains currently circulating inthe Canadian broiler chicken industry. If ARVs continue to cause disease, the Canadian broiler chickenindustry will continue to suffer significant economic losses. Therefore, the development of a safe and aneffective vaccine based on the characteristics of circulating virulent strains of ARV is essential. We havecharacterized emerging variant ARVs from the broiler chicken industry in Saskatchewan at the genetic andimmunological level. We have demonstrated that four genotypes of ARV affect the Saskatchewan broilerchicken industry and these genotypes cannot be controlled by a ARV vaccine containing just one type. Wepropose to develop a safe and effective multivalent live and inactivated vaccine against ARVs specificallytailored for the Canadian poultry industry to control emerging ARV infections.