Introduction of an update system for vaccine strains of veterinary influenza vaccines in Japan

• Published in: Biologicals Vol. 43; no. 2; pp. 150 - 152
• Main Authors: Gamoh, Koichiro, Nakamura, Shigeyuki
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01-03-2015
• Subjects: Animals; Avian influenza; Chickens - immunology; Congresses as Topic; Equine influenza; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype - immunology; Influenza in Birds - prevention & control; Influenza Vaccines - immunology; Influenza Vaccines - standards; Japan; Poultry Diseases - immunology; Poultry Diseases - prevention & control; Veterinary vaccine; Japan; Avian influenza; Equine influenza; Veterinary vaccine
• ISSN: 1045-1056; 1095-8320
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biologicals.2014.12.003

The basic countermeasures used to control highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) are early detection procedures and the culling of affected chickens. However, if successive HPAI outbreaks occur, the vaccination may be an option for controlling HPAI. Therefore, avian influenza (AI) vaccines are stocked by the Japanese government. By contrast, equine influenza (EI) vaccine is an effective tool for preventing or controlling EI. Because antigenic drifts affect the efficacy of AI and EI vaccines, the vaccine strains should be updated rapidly. However, the development and registration of veterinary vaccines usually takes several years. In response to this issue, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries (MAFF) established a system that allows AI and EI vaccine strains to be updated rapidly. National Veterinary Assay Laboratory, MAFF, established a vaccine strains selection committee for veterinary influenza vaccine. The main agendas involve determining whether the current vaccine strains need to be updated and selecting the most appropriate vaccine strains. The committee concluded that A/duck/Hokkaido/Vac-3/2007(H5N1) was added to the strains of stockpiled AI vaccines and that the EI vaccine strains did not need to be changed, but that the clade 2 viruses of the Florida sub-lineage strain, A/equine/Yokohama/aq13/2010(H3N8) was added to the EI vaccine strain.
•Veterinary influenza vaccine strains are allowed to be updated rapidly.•A/duck/Hokkaido/Vac-3/2007(H5N1) was added to the strains of stockpiled AI vaccines.•Clade 2 viruses of the Florida sub-lineage strain was added to the EI vaccine strain.