Efficacy of Formalin Killed Fowl Cholera Vaccine in Experimentally Immunized Fayoumi Chickens

Abstract

Efficacy of experimentally prepared formalin killed fowl cholera vaccine in Fayoumi chickens via different routes of vaccination was determined during the period from April 2002 to March 2003. Pasteurella multocida (PM-38) serotype 1 (X-73) was employed for vaccine preparation and antibody titres of the chicken sera were determined by passive haemagglutination (PHA) test. Vaccination was done either intramuscularly or subcutaneously. Each of the experimental chickens was challenged with a virulent isolate of P. multocida @ 3.8 x 10⁸ CFU / ml per bird intramuscularly. The 100% vaccinated chickens protected against virulent P. multocida infection but all (100%) unvaccinated control birds died within 72 hours of challenge. Intramuscular (both primary and booster) route of vaccinations was found superior and more effective than subcutaneous route of inoculation. The higher PHA antibody titre was recorded with intramuscularly (222.86 ± 25.60) than subcutaneously (111.43 ± 12.80) vaccinated groups of birds. The result revealed the fact that intramuscular route followed by subcutaneous inoculation could be done for immunization against fowl cholera in chickens.

Key words: Efficacy; fowl cholera vaccine; formalin killed; Fayoumi chicken

doi: 10.3329/bjvm.v2i1.1929

Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2004). 2 (1) : 23-25