[Testing the immunogenicity of the dermal antigen in Marek's disease virus]

An experiment was performed to study the immunogenicity of the dermal antigen of Marek's disease virus, extracted from the skin of 30-day-old chickens, infected with Marek's disease virus on the first day of life. Three kinds of samples were tested: (1) dermal antigen centrifuged at 10 000 g per 0.5 h, (2) dermal antigen centrifugated at 10 000 g per 0.5 h and 100 000 g per 1 h, (3) dermal antigen treated like sample (2) and partly purified by DEAE-cellulose chromatography. Samples (1) and (2) were inoculated to two-day-old chickens and the vaccination was repeated, using complete Freund's adjuvant, 21 days later. Sample (3) was inoculated to two-day-old chickens with DEAE-dextran. All the three groups were challenged together with the controls (non-vaccinated chickens) on the seventh day after the first vaccination. A reduction of mortality was observed in the chickens vaccinated with and re-vaccinated with sample (1) (23.07%) and in the chickens vaccinated with sample (3) (30.76%). The chickens of the latter group were the last to start dying from Marek's disease--only after the 10th week of life. In the chickens which had been vaccinated and revaccinated with sample (2) the mortality was not reduced. The study is continued, with particular emphasis on the relationship of DEAE-dextran to protection against Marek's disease.