Why is this research important for Alberta ag?
Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV) causes an economically important infectious disease in chickens which can be controlled by vaccination. Although IBV is known to cause defective eggs and decreased egg production in Western Canada, it led to a condition known as Shell-less Egg Syndrome (SES) in vaccinated flocks. This project will evaluate available live attenuated vaccines and also develop an inactivated vaccine for the control of SES with a view of mitigating SES in Western Canada.
What benefits can producers expect from this research?
This project aims to yield potential SES mitigation strategies.
How will these research findings reach producers on-farm?
The outcomes of this project will be communicated to major stakeholders such as Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, Egg Farmers of Alberta, and Saskatchewan Egg Producers. The project outcomes will also be communicated to poultry producers in a number of ways:
Non-scientific publications in magazines, newsletters, and websites such as Canadian Poultry, AB Chicken Producers, and ThePoultrySite.
Poster and oral presentations in poultry industry meetings such as poultry innovation conference, Prairies poultry meeting and Western Poultry Diseases Conference.
Publication in scientific peer-reviewed journals such as “PLOS One”, “Virology”, “Vaccine”, “Viral Immunology”, “Avian Diseases”, and “Avian Pathology”.