Effectivity of alternative adjuvants in comparison to Freund's complete adjuvant

Abstract

In order to replace the use of mammals for the production of hyperimmune sera and to replace Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA) with its undesirable side effects, the production and immunological features of IgY were investigated systematically. An important advantage of IgY is that large amounts can easily be extracted from the yolk of immunised laying hens. With special regard to animal welfare, several biocompatible adjuvants (ABM system, Gerbu adjuvant, TiterMax) were tested with FCA for their usage and effectiveness in the immunisation of chicken. Under appropriate immunisation schedules which strictly avoid intramuscular administration, IgY antibodies with very high titres and a strong binding capacity (avidity) comparable to rabbit hyperimmune sera can be obtained with minimal adjuvant side effects.