Principal investigator: Wolfgang Koester

Coinvestigators: Brenda Allan, Arshud Dar, Colette Wheler

Years the work was done: 2020-2023

Overall objective: To evaluate the effect of different Salmonella vaccine adjuvants and the efficacy of different vaccines, administered at the hatchery, to reduce the level of Salmonella colonization in the chicken gut.

Outcomes:

• A series of adjuvants and vaccine combinations were tested, with clear differences; some adjuvants were promising, while some were not well suited to in ovo vaccination.
• None of the in ovo vaccine formulations gave a significant level of protection against an oral challenge with Enteritidis; further adjuvant combinations will be tested

Application: This work helped build on the knowledge of suitable adjuvants and vaccines for protecting chickens against S. Enteritidis, an important pathogen to reduce from a human food safety perspective.

Funding: This research was supported by Chicken Farmers of Canada, Alberta Ag and Forestry, Egg Farmers of Alberta, and VIDO.