ELECTRON BEAM (EBEAM)-KILLED MULTIVALENT VACCINE TO CONTROL CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS AND MYCOPLASMA GALLISEPTICUM IN CHICKENS

Clostridium perfringens(CP) andMycoplasma galisepticum(MG) are poultry pathogens that cause huge economic loss to the poultry industry, so the goal of this project is to develop a suite of eBeam-killed vaccines against CPand MGto reduce necrotic enteritis (NE) and chronic respiratory disease (CRD) in chickens and human foodborne outbreaks due to CP. To obtain this goal, we have two major objectives: (1) To prepare a multi-strainClostridium perfringensvaccine using eBeam technology and test its efficacy in protecting broiler chickens when challenged with live homologous and heterologous strains; (2)To prepare a multi-strainMycoplasma galisepticumvaccine using eBeam technology and test its efficacy in protecting layer chickens when challenged with homologous and heterologous strains of MG.