Breadth of protection of the respiratory tract provided by different live-attenuated infectious bronchitis vaccines against challenge with infectious bronchitis viruses of heterologous serotypes

The regime of administering the infectious bronchitis (IB) Ma5 vaccine (Massachusetts serotype) at 1 day old and the heterologous 4/91 vaccine at 2 weeks of age, was shown to be highly effective in protecting the respiratory tract of specified pathogen free chickens. Protection, as measured by assessing ciliary activity of the tracheal epithelium following challenge, was excellent against challenge at 5 weeks of age with IB strains of many serotypes, isolated from disease outbreaks in different parts of the world. This vaccination protocol was more effective than revaccination with a vaccine of the same serotype as the first vaccine, Furthermore, significantly better protection was seen when the Ma5 vaccine was given before, rather than at the same time as or following, the 4/91 vaccine. It is suggested that the use of these two IB vaccines will frequently broaden the protection possible against challenge with IB isolates of many different serotypes, without the need to develop a new IB vaccine to combat each new IB serotype that emerges.