S.23. The effect of Adjuvant on the immunization of chicks (intramuscularly) against Newcastle disease virus
Abstract
Newcastle disease in birds is highly contagious and efforts to control it by immunization in Nigeria are often unsuccessful because of high probability of vaccine failure and abuse. Hence, there is need for a vaccine regimen that will elicit a long lasting, high level of Newcastle disease virus antibodies adequate to protect birds against the virus. We have evaluated the effects of adjuvant on the immunization of chicks (intramuscularly) against Newcastle disease virus, by formulating a vaccination regimen, with Newcastle disease vaccines (lasota strain) and adjuvant used include, tapioca starch (starch from the root of the tropical American plant Janipha manihot), Dioscorea bulbifera starch, palm oil (oil from the tropical tree Elaesis guineensis), Freunds complete adjuvant and Aluminium hydroxide. Seventy-five Anak 2000 broiler chicks were given Newcastle disease virus vaccine (Lasota strain) intramuscularly in combination with the different adjuvant, while fifteen were given the vaccine without the adjuvant (the control group). Haemagglutination inhibition test was performed on the serum samples collected from the hundred birds to determine the titres of the antibody against the antigen present in the samples. Freunds complete adjuvant, (the standard adjuvant used) induced the best antibody response, with a median log base 2 antibody titre of 12, this was followed by aluminium hydroxide which gave an antibody titre of 11, the Dioscorea bulbifera and tapioca starch gave an antibody titre of 9 each, while the palm oil gave an antibody titre of 7 and the control gave an antibody titre of 6.
