#Vaccination against #H5 HP #influenza virus leads to persistent immune response in wild king #penguins
Abstract Since 2021, the panzootic of high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) represents an increasing threat to wild vertebrate populations . In this context, recent vaccines developed for poultry could provide tools for the conservation of wild endangered birds populations . The king penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus), a long-lived seabird breeding in dense colonies with an extended chick-rearing period , was identified as a possible surrogate species for a vaccination trial in a sub-Antarctic natural setting . We investigate here the immune response of king penguin chicks to a self-amplifying mRNA vaccine against a H5 HPAI clade 2.3.4.4b protein. Thirty chicks were vaccinated (primo- and boost-injections), 20 were kept as controls. Along 250 days of monitoring, vaccinated chicks showed a high and persistent immune response , granting a strong seroneutralisation capacity against the virus, up to fledging. No adverse effects were observed. The screening for antibodies against u...