Real-time quantitative PCR for Marek's disease vaccine virus in feather samples: applications and opportunities

Marek's disease, an economically-important lymphoid neoplasm of chickens, is controlled by vaccination with CVI988 strain of Marek's disease herpesvirus. Sub-optimal vaccinal protection can have multiple causes. Accurate quantification of CVI988 in vaccinated chickens will assist in understanding the causes of these vaccine breaks. We developed, optimised and validated a real-time PCR assay for quantification of CVI988 vaccine virus (in terms of CVI988 genomes per 10,000 cells) in the feather tips, a rich source of viral DNA which can easily be sampled in a non-invasive manner. CVI988 load in feathers was predictive of CVI988 load in spleen, so is anticipated to be a good predictor of protection. The optimal age of chicks for feather collection is between two to five weeks, and feathers are preferentially taken from the axillary tract. This PCR test is now used to monitor vaccine virus levels in commercial chicks. For each flock under test, fifty birds are feather sampled for q-PCR. We describe how the feather CVI988 genome profile can show the flock's response to vaccination, and the likelihood of vaccine breaks. Furthermore, the q-PCR test can be applied to researching optimal timing and vaccine delivery routes, and optimal vaccination regimes for different breeds of chick.