Agricultural Research Service

Awards Issued Prior to January 20, 2025, Were Funded Under Previous Administrations and May Not Reflect the Priorities and Policies of the Current Administration. Clostridium Perfringens (CP) Is a Bacterial Pathogen That Causes Necrotic Enteritis (NE) in Chickens and Foodborne Illnesses in Humans, and Mycoplasma Gallisepticum (MG) Is a Pathogen for Chickens That Causes Chronic Respiratory Disease (CRD). Both Pathogens Cause Significant Economic Loss to the Poultry Industry Worldwide. the Estimated Loss Due to Ne Is Approximately $5-6 Billion, and the Loss Due to CRD Is $780 Million. Vaccines Are One of the Best Methods to Control Them, But Currently, There Are No Commercial Vaccines to Control CP in Poultry. Even Though Commercial Vaccines Are Available for MG, the Problem of CRD Still Exists, Indicating the Need for a More Effective Vaccine, So We Proposed to Develop a Multi-strain-electron Beam (ebeam)- Killed Vaccines to Control Both Ne and CRD in Chickens. the Proposal Aims to Prepare Vaccines Against a Broad Spectrum of CP and MG Strains Using Ebeam, Vaccinate the Embryos, and Then Challenge the Chickens With Live Pathogens to Test If the Vaccine Gives Protection. We Expect That the Multi-strain Vaccine Will Control Both Ne and CRD in Chickens and Prevent Economic Loss Due to Ne and CRD. We Also Expect the Commercialization of Vaccines.