Characterization of duck plague virus stability at extreme conditions of temperature, pH and salt concentration.

Duck plaque virus (DPV) belongs to the family Herpesviridae. The live attenuated vaccine is the only way to protect the ducks from DPV infection. The ineffectiveness of vaccine is one of the major causes of DPV outbreaks in the field condition. DPV is not well characterized for its pathogenicity and molecular biology in poultry. In the present study, we discuss briefly about the biology of DPV and its proteins under different conditions of temperature and pH in order to evaluate its infectivity under adverse physical conditions. Our results indicate that the DPV is non-infective above 42 °C and unstable above 65 °C. In addition, change in pH or salt concentrations significantly decreases the stability of the DPV. The study will be useful in estimating an optimum storage condition for DPV vaccines without causing any deterioration in its viability and effectiveness.