Zoetis Inc. has obtained a full license from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to sell Poulvac Bron GA 08, the first commercially available vaccine to reduce disease caused by Georgia 2008 (GA 08) Type infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) in poultry.

Poulvac Bron GA 08, a live vaccine, is licensed for vaccination of healthy chickens at one day of age or older as an aid in the reduction of disease caused by GA 08, Zoetis said. The vaccine was licensed based on clinical data showing that the vaccine meets USDA's standards for safety, efficacy, purity and potency. The full license follows USDA's provision of a conditional license last fall, which authorized the vaccine's sale in states affected by GA 08.

First identified in Georgia in December 2007, GA 08 has since been isolated on farms in Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky. Over the past three winters, its incidence and severity have increased dramatically, along with associated costs.

Unlike other IBV strains, which typically affect the upper respiratory tract, GA 08 primarily affects the lower tract, particularly the air sacs.

According to Dr. Holly Sellers, professor at the University of Georgia's Poultry Diagnostic & Research Center, GA 08 rarely makes its presence known on the farm, but becomes a real issue at the processing plant due to higher incidence of airsacculitis. This results in increased condemnations, reduced plant efficiency and ultimately economic loss for producers.

"Each winter for the past three years, the number of states and companies affected by GA 08 has increased dramatically," Sellers said. "Outbreaks have taken a major economic toll on producers and processors in the Southeast, so making a vaccine available has been a top priority.

"Based on UGA's initial research, which included isolation and characterization of the virus, Zoetis has developed a new vaccine that has performed well in areas hard hit by this costly virus, against which other IBV vaccines offer little protection," she added.