USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation are accepting research preproposals from colleges, universities and research facilities through Nov. 3, on refining Avian Metapneumovirus (aMPV) vaccination strategies for improved disease management.

Research is needed to support the development of vaccination strategies to rapidly respond to an emerging poultry disease challenge, aMPV, also known as Turkey Rhinotracheitis, Avian Pneumovirus, Avian Rhinotracheitis and Swollen Head Syndrome. It is an acute respiratory tract infection of poultry and is associated with Swollen Head Syndrome, as well as reproductive disorders that can cause a drastic decrease in egg production for poultry breeders. Infection with aMPV can be complicated by secondary bacterial or viral infections due to significant immunosuppression from aMPV, resulting in significant mortality.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Center for Veterinary Biologics has approved the importation of five modified-live and two inactivated vaccines for aMPV, marking their first use in the U.S. poultry industry. Widely used in Europe, these vaccines have shown strong results in protecting flock health by stimulating immunity and providing long-term protection. As the industry begins deploying them to combat high levels of aMPV in the environment, continued research is needed to refine vaccination strategies and ensure lasting disease control.

Visit the USPOULTRY website for complete instructions to submit a preproposal.

On Monday, Sept. 29 at 2 p.m. ET, the USPOULTRY Foundation Research Advisory Committee (FRAC) will host a Zoom webinar to provide an overview of the request for proposals (RFPs) related to this topic and three other Board Research Initiative topics as well as the process for submitting a preproposal. The webinar is complimentary and open to all researchers interested in learning more about the RFPs for the four topics. The webinar will provide an opportunity to ask specific questions to the FRAC, and it will be recorded and made available afterward. The link can be accessed here.