Field experience with vaccination in turkeys in MoroccoTaoufik RAWI – M.C.I Santé Animale

(Morocco)

Field experience with vaccination in turkeys in Morocco

Taoufik Rawi, DVM, MBA

Head Of Technical Support & MarketingM.C.I. Santé Animale, Mohammedia, Morocco

Poultry production in Morocco

• Broilers: 450 Million / year (7600 farms)

• Layers: 14 Million / year (252 farms)

• Breeders: 4 Million (230 farms & 50 hatcheries)

• Turkeys : 13 Million (900 farms)

• Epidemiology (broiler & turkeys):– vvIBD, vvNDV, IB, AMPV, Mycoplasma…

– Up to the end of December 2015, no official presence of any subtype of AIV

2016, first H9 outbreaks

• What was ongoing on Moroccan poultry farms at the end of 2015?– Increase of mortality rates in broiler farms in different areas of the

country

– Huge drop in egg & chick production in layer and breeder farms

– ND & IB suspicions even in well vaccinated flocks !

• National Sanitary & Security food Office declare H9N2 outbreaks in January 2016

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate…

• Huge discussions between all stakeholders

• First decision of authorities:– Vaccination of breeder and layer

flocks only– Turkeys came after

• Final decision: vaccination of all production types

Feb, 16th

In the field

• H9N2 is LPAI, But…

• Broilers :– The disease reached farms all over the country within weeks

– Severe respiratory signs

– Flocks show very quick increase of mortality rate (up to 50% and more) between 3rd and 6th day after onset of disease

• Layers and Breeders:– High morbidity , mortality rates up to 20%

– Drastic drop in egg and chick production

– The affected flocks didn’t recover after

Congested or haemorragic tracheaswith Fibrinous casts in bronchi

In Turkeys

• Severe respiratory signs

• Sinusitis with facial swelling

• Mortality rates: more than 20%

• Wide differences between flocks

H9N2, a really severe impact

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Chick production (average per week)

Chick production : Decrease of 50%Live broiler price : Increase up to 60%

Egg prices : Increase of 50%

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Live Broiler Prices (farm level)

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Efficacy of GALLIMUNE™ 208 vaccine against Challenge with H9N2 Moroccan Strain in Turkeys

Objective of the study

• Assess in meat type turkeys, the efficacy of GALLIMUNE 208 ND+FLU H9 ME, a bivalent ND & H9N2 inactivated vaccine based on a Middle-East strain against the Moroccan AIV H9N2.

Efficacy criteria used

• Clinical signs (symptoms and mortality)

• Macroscopic lesions

• Virus persistence and shedding

Experimental Protocol

120 day-oldturkeys

Vaccinated (50) Unvaccinated (50)

VaccinatedChallenged (20)

VC

VaccinatedUnchallenged (20)

VUC

Unvaccinatedchallenged (20)

UVC

Unvaccinatedunchallenged (20)

UVUC

Experimental Protocol

D1 D8 D26 D31 D40

- Challenge : UVC et VC received 107 EID50

of Moroccan H9N2 by oculo-nasal route

- Daily follow-up of clinical signs and

mortality

120 turkey poults, received at one day of age from

parents that were vaccinated against H9N2Autopsy (D5 post challenge)

10 poults per group

Vaccination with

Gallimune 208

Autopsy (D15 post challenge)

Autopsy of remaining animals from

UVC&VC groups .

Blood samples (D1, D8, D19, D25, D31 & D40)

Tracheal & Cloacal swabs (D25, D29, D31, D33, D35, D37 & D40)

Results : Clinical signs (UVC)

Age D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D7 D8 D9 D10 D14Scoring respiratory

signs

0 8 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3

1 9 9 4 4 2 0 0 1 2 2

2 3 8 13 10 12 4 4 4 3 0

3 0 2 3 6 6 5 3 0 0 0

Mortalities 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 0 0

Scoring for respiratory signs: 0=no rales, 1=mild, 2=intermediate, 3=severe

Age D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D7 D8 D9 D10 D14Scoring

respiratory signs

0 11 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 7

1 7 10 8 5 4 5 2 4 5 1

2 2 7 5 8 8 3 5 4 3 0

3 0 2 6 7 8 0 1 0 0 0

Mortalities 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0cv

Results : Clinical signs (VC) Scoring for respiratory signs: 0=no rales, 1=mild, 2=intermediate, 3=severe

Results : Macroscopic lesions

UVC Autopsy at

D5 PC

Autopsy at

D15 PC

Fibrinous sinusitis 5/10 5/5Tracheitis 2/10 0/5

Fibrinous pneumonia 1/10 0/5Fibrinous aerosacculitis 3/10 2/5

VC Autopsy at

D5 PC

Autopsy at

D15 PC

Fibrinous sinusitis 6/10 0/8

Tracheitis 2/10 0/8

Fibrinous aerosacculitis 6/10 0/8

Results : Clinical signs (VC vs UVC)

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0,50

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2,50

D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D7 D8 D9 D10 D15

NVC VC

Weighted average of respiratory ralesscores in UVC & VC groups

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D3 D4 D5 D7 D8 D9

NVC VC

% of birds with sinusitis

UVC

UVC

Conclusion : Symptoms & lesions

• Vaccination reduced the duration, severity of clinical signs and mortality rate.

• Vaccination limited the severity, duration of respiratory tract lesions and signs of sinusitis.

• (Mycoplasma MG, MS and MM negative by PCR at D19)

Results : Virus shedding

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D3 D5 D7 D9 D11

Virus detection by PCR in Cloacal swabs

NVC

VC

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D3 D5 D7 D9 D11

Virus detection by PCR in tracheal swabs

NVC

VC

• Vaccination delayed the installation of infection in the respiratory system in 50% of the individuals tested by PCR on day 3.

• Vaccination reduced the intensity and duration of viral detection in the respiratory tract and cloacal swabs.

Conclusion

• Gallimune 208 ND+FLU H9 ME had a positive impact on the protection of turkeys by reducing the duration, the intensity of clinical symptoms, the mortality rate and the virus persistence and shedding.

• In the field, vaccination has to be supported by a high level of biosecurity, good rearing conditions and proper management of concomitant viral and bacterial diseases.

H9N2 current situation in Morocco

• All breeder, layer & turkey flocks are vaccinated

• Vaccination ratio of broiler flocks : 75-80%

65%

15%

20%

Gallimune Unvaccinated Other vaccines

H9 Vaccination in 2016

H9N2 situation in Morocco

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Live Broiler Prices (farm level)

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Chick production (average per week)

Few clinical cases are remaining but macroscopic indicators came back to normal levels:

Aknowledgement• Pr. Mohammed EL HOUADFI

• Pr. Siham FELLAHI

• Pr. Saadia Nassik

• Dr. Stéphane LEMIERE

• Dr. Antoine LEPLAT

• Dr. Andrea DELVECCHIO

ThanK you very much