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 bilateral swelling of the hock joint resulting in lameness. Depending on the severity, ARV infection results in poor growth and poor production, and sometimes death, causing considerable economic losses to the poultry industry. While commercial vaccines are available, the incidence of emerging virulent strains of ARV that continue to impact the Canadian poultry industry suggest that current vaccines are not effective against circulating 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 measure against ARVs. There is no effective vaccine available against the emerging ARV strains currently circulating in the Canadian broiler chicken industry. If ARVs continue to cause disease, the Canadian broiler chicken industry will continue to suffer significant economic losses. Therefore, the development of a safe and an effective vaccine based on the characteristics of circulating virulent strains of ARV is essential. We have characterized emerging variant ARVs from the broiler chicken industry in Saskatchewan at the genetic and immunological level. We have demonstrated that four genotypes of ARV affect the Saskatchewan broiler chicken industry and these genotypes cannot be controlled by a ARV vaccine containing just one type. We propose to develop a safe and effective multivalent live and inactivated vaccine against ARVs specifically tailored for the Canadian poultry industry to control emerging ARV infections.