Take control of transmission

Vectormune® ND is a recombinant HVT vector vaccine, which uses the herpes virus of turkeys (HVT) as the vector by inserting the fusion (F) gene from Newcastle disease virus (NDV) into the HVT genome.

The patented insertion site and the promoter selected to ensure the expression of the F gene, are the key elements of the construction of this vaccine.

The HVT strain used to carry and express the “F” gene has been known for decades as a very safe and stable virus, used worldwide to vaccinate chickens against Marek’s disease. The particular NDV strain and passage level selected for the construction of Vectormune® ND ensure active replication in chickens and strong expression of the F gene which explains why protection against ND occurs so rapidly.

The “F” (for “fusion”) protein is the epitope present on the surface of NDV, allowing it to attach and penetrate target cells. It is, at the same time, a key factor of virulence of the virus, as well as a key protective antigen. One can easily understand that if immunity is built up against the “F” protein, then NDV would have much more difficulty infecting cells and creating damage. This explains the high efficacy of Vectormune® ND.

The poultry industry is changing extremely fast and its challenges have increased considerably over the years. For producers, efficiency, rather than a differentiating point, became a survival strategy.

Today, it is necessary to produce more with less in a challenging context. In addition, high disease pressure, high stock density on farms located in very densely populated areas, poorly qualified workers, pressure to reduce the use of antibiotics, amongst  others, are daily challenges faced by all involved in this industry.

Vectormune® ND is the best-in-class solution for overcoming the following concerns where other ND vaccines are not enough:

1. Interference with Maternally Derived Antibodies (MDA)
2. Challenges of vaccine administration
3. Side effects
4. Virus circulation

Click here to read more

Onset of immunity

An antibody response to Vectormune® ND (of the type IgG, IgM and IgA) can be detected in SPF chickens as soon as 9-12 days post vaccination (Rauw et al., 2012).

The immune response to Vectormune® ND is composed of circulating antibodies, as well as a local immune response. It is not only humoral but also cellular (Rauw et al., 2010). Antibody response to Vectormune® ND can be detected using the Haemagglutination Inhibition (HI) test, or ND “F” ELISA tests.

Following vaccination at Day One, in the presence of passive immunity, antibody response can be clearly differentiated from the controls at around 21-28 days of age. Conversely, this detection is not possible with commercial ND ELISA kits (E.g.: Idexx, Biochek). If no live vaccine is used, this can be a simple serological method to differentiate vaccinated only from vaccinated and infected or simply infected animals (commonly known as “DIVA procedure”)

Duration of immunity

Duration of immunity is probably the most impressive feature of this vaccine.

Following a single injection of Vectormune® ND at day of hatch, layers are totally protected against clinical signs, mortality and drop in egg production until, at least, 72 weeks of age (Palya et al., 2012c). This cannot be compared to any existing ND vaccination conventional program where a minimum of 2 to 4 killed and 5 to 8 live vaccinations would be necessary to achieve acceptable (but not comparable) level of protection.

Reduction of Shedding

A proven best-in-class product for the reduction of Newcastle disease transmission

Vectormune® ND is a strong tool to break the uncontrolled transmission of NDV among chickens in a house, in between houses in a farm, and ultimately among farms in a high densely populated poultry area. Hence, Vectormune® ND helps to prevent and control Newcastle Disease outbreaks in the poultry industry and protects performance. This is more proof of how Ceva Animal Health supports its customers in achieving their targets all around the world.

Since protection with Vectormune® ND requires replication of the HVT vector and this generally takes some days, the first 3 weeks of life are gradually covered by Vectormune® ND.

For this reason, in ND endemic countries, the vaccination strategy with Vectormune® ND requires ensuring early protection by the application of a live attenuated ND vaccine by spray on Day One in the hatchery. In order to avoid damaging the trachea, which is detrimental to both growth and the integrity of the respiratory tract, it is strongly recommended to use a vaccine based on an apathogenic enterotropic NDV strain, like the Phy.LMV.42 NDV strain present in Cevac® Vitapest L (ND only) or Cevac® Vitabron L (combination of ND + IB).

In countries where ND is only an epizootic risk, it is advisable to remove any live ND vaccine from the program. The combination of a reliable ND passive immunity together with Vectormune® ND induced active immunity will ensure a very significant level of protection. By removing the use of any live ND vaccine in chicken flocks, this innovative approach helps to improve overall respiratory health, which could in turn result in less antibiotic medication and lower rates of airsacculitis at the processing plant.

Following several years of investigation with Vectormune® ND, we believe that this vaccine is more a revolution than a simple evolution.

Vectormune® ND has been changing the approach of Newcastle disease prevention in the field and is being considered as a strong tool for the long-term control of this serious poultry disease.

Click here to read more

Ceva’s ultimate goal is the proper immunization of the birds. Therefore, we have best-in-class vaccines and also dedicated services to support our partners.

Since 2009 , the C.H.I.C.K. Program® (Ceva Hatchery Immunisation Control Keys) has been implemented in thousands of hatcheries around the world by our dedicated teams of technicians to check whether the vaccines are properly stored, prepared and administered to the birds.

Veterinary services are our strongest pillar for monitoring the immunisation and understanding the field dynamics.

Since 2010, we have been delivering an end-to-end service solution as a service with Linilog® (Liquid Nitrogen Logistics), that contributes to preserving the vaccine integrity and the safety of the people involved.

By providing maximum protection and shedding reduction with no side effects, the use of Vectormune® ND teamed up with Ceva’s outstanding services in the perfect combination offering a complete solution for the control of Newcastle Disease, bringing improved profit and more peace of mind to the poultry industry.

Throughout the years, our customers have obtained very positive results with Vectormune® ND, confirming the superiority of Ceva’s vector vaccines. These results can be described and organized, depending on the production phase where the improvements were observed