Vaccination of chickens against Marek's disease with the turkey herpesvirus vaccine using a pneumatic vaccinator.

A pneumatic vaccinator has been successfully used to administer cell-associated turkey herpesvirus (HVT) vaccine without a loss in titer due to the pressure required to administer the vaccine. Laboratory studies have also shown that chickens vaccinated with graded doses of the HVT vaccine using doses as low as 41 PFU offered protection against Marek's disease (MD) when compared to the unvaccinated controls. The pneumatic vaccinator has also been successful in administering a combination of HVT vaccine and tissue culture fowl pox vaccine. Vaccinated birds were protected against challenge with virulent MD virus as well as fowl pox virus. Antibiotics such as spectinomycin pentahydrate or lincomycin hydrochloride monohydrate and spectinomycin sulfate tetrahydrate were used in combination with the HVT and fowl pox vaccine and none of the antibiotics appear to have an adverse effect on the efficacy of either vaccine.