Immunomodulatory effect of a rodent bone marrow cytokine in improving antibody response in Newcastle disease vaccinated chicks

Abstract

Outbreak of Newcastle disease (ND) in spite of vaccination is not infrequent in India. To abrogate this vaccine failure condition a nonspecies specific 12.7 kD immunomodulatory cytokine (BIM) is used. One drop of BIM (cone. 0.3 µg /25 µl) was applied via nasal or ocular route on 5th and 11 th day post R₂B vaccination and antibody to ND virus was assayed after 2 and 6 weeks of vaccination. The mean antibody (Ab) titre at 2 weeks post-vaccination of control chicks was 1 in 517.7 while the vaccinated BIM treated group had a mean Ab titre of I in 1821 (P<0.001) indicating that the flock immunity of the BIM treated chicks with respect to R2B vaccination is more at 2 weeks compared to only vaccinated group. At 6 weeks both the groups have comparable Ab titre (control 1 in 2132, BIM 1 in 1898). BIM is heat stable which dispense the use of cold chain. This immunomodulatory role of BIM opens up a new cytokine based immunopotentiation in chicks.