Response of broiler chickens to fowl cholera vaccination at 1 to 6 weeks of age.

Broiler chickens, in groups of 10, received a single vaccination by the stick-wing route at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 11 weeks of age with live Clemson University strain of Pasteurella multocida. Twenty non-vaccinates kept in isolation served as controls. Cholera serum antibody titers in all chickens were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at weekly intervals. Chickens vaccinated once at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 weeks, respectively, attained 25.2%, 28.7%, 34.7%, 46.2%, 51.8%, and 64.6% of the titers of those vaccinated once at 11 weeks of age. Variation in antibody response was greatest in chickens vaccinated at 1 or 2 weeks of age. Additionally, chickens vaccinated at 1 or 2 weeks of age showed the longest response time (5 weeks) to reach maximum antibody titers after a single vaccination. When the original vaccinates were revaccinated at 11 weeks of age, all showed a secondary response equal to or greater than that seen in chickens vaccinated once at 11 weeks of age. Age of the chickens at the time of vaccination and antibody titer were positively correlated (r = 0.997). Overall antibody responses to vaccination were higher and much more uniform as birds increased in age.