A Systematic Review of Vaccine Candidates for Chickens.

infection linked to the consumption of contaminated poultry products is one of the leading causes of human enteric illness worldwide. Vaccination of chickens is one of the potential strategies that could be used to control colonization. To date, various vaccines using potential antigens have been evaluated, but a challenge in identifying the most effective formulation is the wide variability in vaccine efficacies reported. A systematic review was undertaken to compare vaccine studies. Based upon specific selection criteria eligible papers were identified and included in the analysis. Vaccine efficacy reported from different antigens, vaccine types, and vaccination regimens reported in these papers were reviewed. Our analysis shows that total outer membrane proteins and cysteine ABC transporter substrate-binding protein were among the most efficacious vaccine antigen candidates reported. This review also highlights the importance of the need for increased consistency in the way vaccine studies in poultry are designed and reported in order to be able to undertake a robust comparison of vaccine candidates.