UNIFORMITY OF INFECTION AFTER INOVOCOX™ DELIVERY AT E18 USING THE INOVOJECT® SYSTEM
R. M. Poston, L. K. Griffin, J. R. Upton, H.
E. Boyette, A. Martin, and V. W. Doelling
Embrex, Inc., P.O. Box 13989, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
rposton@embrex.com
This study investigated the
uniformity of infection among individual chicks vaccinated at 18 days of
embryonation with a controlled dose of Inovocox™. Inovocox is a live oocyst
vaccine consisting of four strains of coccidia including Eimeria acervulina, E.
tenella, and two strains of E. maxima. A 50 ul dose of Inovocox in Marek’s
diluent was administered to Cobb x Cobb broiler embryos using the Inovoject®
system. Percent hatch of vaccinates was normal. At hatch, 60 in ovo vaccinated
chicks were placed in individual cages facilitating fecal collection from
individual birds. Fecal collections were performed over days 4-9. Oocyst
presence and relative oocyst sizes in feces were determined using Whitlock
flotation chambers. The percentage of birds demonstrating infection was 90% with
representative sizes of all vaccine strains present. These data indicate that in
ovo administration of a live oocyst vaccine to broiler embryos results in a
consistent, uniform infection during the first week of life when administered
via this specific injection system.