Field application of a subunit vaccine against an enteric protozoan disease.

Background: Coccidiosis is a major global veterinary health problem in intensively reared chickens. It is caused by apicomplexan parasites of the genus Eimeria.

Principal Findings: A subunit vaccine composed of purified antigens from the gametocytes of Eimeria maxima was used to stimulate the production and transfer of maternal antibodies between breeding hens and their hatchlings.

Development and large-scale use of recombinant VP2 vaccine for the prevention of infectious bursal disease of chickens.

Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) is the causative agent of Gumboro disease, an infectious disease of global economic importance in poultry. One of the most effective types of inactivated IBDV vaccine is produced by infecting young chickens with a virulent strain, sacrificing them and extracting the virus from the bursa of Fabricius. The goal of this study was to produce an effective subunit vaccine against IBDV thereby providing an effective means of combating the disease.