Pacific GeneTech reports positive results for second inactivated Eimeria poultry vaccine trial at Southern Poultry Research
November 2019 - Pacific GeneTech (PGT) reports positive results in a recent trial for its inactivated recombinant Eimeria vaccine. The study was conducted at the Southern Research Poultry in the US with Dr. Greg Mathis (a leading expert on Eimeria).
The trial compared PGT's vaccine to Merial's attenuated live oocyst vaccine Hatchpack, against three species of Eimeria: E. acervulina, E. maxima and E. tenella, in an individual battery cage challenge trial. The study used lesion scores, performance / weight gain, oocysts shed per gram (OPGs) and mortality as endpoints.
Results demonstrated that the PGT Eimeria vaccine performed well against the live oocyst Hatch Pak comparator, with statistically similar overall performance, and statistically significant levels of protection in terms of all critical parameters, including Lesion Scores, OPGs and Feed Conversion Ratios. This study’s results were also consistent with the results achieved in an earlier floor pen study conducted by Dr. Mathis in 2017 with a mixed challenge of the above three Eimeria species.
The PGT Eimeria vaccine is an inactivated recombinant vaccine based on PGT’s Aegis vaccine platform. The vaccine is delivered orally to chickens in sprays or drinking water. This will be the only inactivated vaccine on the market for Eimeria and will be more cost effective than traditional live vaccines for producers.
The global poultry Eimeria market size is US$900-950 million. Most prevalent disease affecting the US broiler industry, global economic cost of the infection is U$3 billion due to production losses, combined with the cost of prevention and treatment each year. Animal health impact of Eimeria is significant to food producers: death rates can reach 15% and disease levels may reach 100% during severe outbreaks in poultry.
About Pacific GeneTech
Pacific GeneTech (www.pacificgenetech.com) develops and commercializes next-generation vaccines and biologics for areas of high unmet or underserved needs in food safety and animal health. PGT's proprietary "Aegis" vaccine platform combines cross-protective antigens and immunopotentiators in PGT vectors for broad spectrum protection against multiple strains and species of infectious diseases. The PGT vaccines can be administered orally or by injection in both live and inactivated forms. PGT's "Hercules" adjuvant/delivery system provides enhanced efficacy of inactivated and DNA vaccines, and its "Argo" yeast vector is a safe, flexible and robust carrier of immunogenic material.
PGT has out-licensed two of its leading poultry vaccines addressing economically important gastro-intestinal pathogens and has out-licensed its Hercules adjuvant for use in third-party vaccines. Vaccines for other pathogens and animal species are under development, including an experimental DNA vaccine for African Swine Fever. PGT is developing other applications for its Hercules adjuvant/delivery system and for the Argo vector. PGT, through its affiliate company, PGTx, has commenced programs with collaborators addressing human dysentery and related diseases, and malaria.