Development and Evaluation of Montanide-adjuvanted Vaccines for the Protection of Chickens Against Inclusion Body Hepatitis- Hydropericardium Syndrome

Protective parameters of embryonated egg adapted, Montanide-adjuvanted, inclusion body hepatitishydropericardium syndrome (IBH-HPS), formalin inactivated, and commercial oil-based vaccines, were recorded and analyzed in the present study. Efficacy of the vaccines was tested on the basis of humoral and cell-mediated immune responses, challenge protection against IBH-HPS agent, mean body weight, and organ to body weight ratios. Indirect heamagglutination IHA antibody titer in terms of geometric mean titre GMT in the group vaccinated with Montanideadjuvanted IBH-HPS vaccine (Group C) was significantly higher than the groups vaccinated with formalin-inactivated vaccine (Group A) and commercial-oil based vaccine (Group B), followed by unvaccinated challenged (Group D) and unvaccinated unchallenged control (Group E). Responsiveness to a mitogenic lectin, phytoheamagglutinin-P was significantly reduced in Group A as compared to Group B, followed by Group C. Immunization with Montanideadjuvanted (IBH-HPS) vaccine conferred protection in 95% of the chickens as evidenced by the absence of clinical signs, hydropericardium, and mortality, followed by the group vaccinated with commercial oil based and formalininactivated IBH-HPS vaccines. There was reduction in mean body weight and organ to body weight ratios of the bursa of Fabricius BF, spleen, and liver recorded in group A as compared to groups B and C. The results revealed that administration of Montanide-adjunvanted IBH-HPS vaccine could protect chickens more efficiently from IBH-HPSV challenge as compared to formalin-inactivated and commercial oil-based vaccines.