Laryngotracheitis (LT) is a highly contagious, respiratory tract infection of chickens. The disease results in significant economic losses due to impaired flock performance, increased mortality and decreased egg production, explain Dr Guy and co-authors. In recent years, the disease has occurred with increased frequency, primarily in boiler chickens, despite increased usage of modified-live virus vaccines.

Vaccines based on recombinant DNA technology recently have been developed for LT control. Recombinant LT vaccines provide opportunities for development of improved control procedures; however, little is known about their effectiveness. The purpose of the present study, according to the authors, was to evaluate the effectiveness of commercially available recombinant virus-vectored LT vaccines, and to determine whether these vaccines might be used in combination with CEO vaccines to prevent the adverse effects associated with CEO products.

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