Structure-dependent efficacy of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) recombinant vaccines

The immunogenicity and protective capability of several baculovirus-expressed infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV)-derived assemblies as VP2 capsids, VPX tubules and polyprotein (PP)-derived mixed structures, were tested. Four-week-old chickens were immunised subcutaneously with one dose of each particulate antigen. VP2 icosahedral capsids induced the highest neutralising response, followed by PP-derived structures and then VPX tubules. All vaccinated animals were protected when challenged with a very virulent IBDV (vvIBDV) isolate, however the degree of protection is directly correlated with the levels of neutralising antibodies. VP2 capsids elicited stronger protective immunity than tubular structures and 3 micrograms of them were sufficient to confer a total protection comparable to that induced by an inactivated vaccine. Therefore, VP2 capsids represent a suitable candidate recombinant vaccine instead of virus-like particles (VLPs) for IBDV infections. Our results also provide clear evidence that the recombinant IBDV-derived antigens are structure-dependent in order to be efficient as vaccine components.