• FluTrackers.com Inc. does not provide medical advice. Information on this web site is collected from various internet resources, and the FluTrackers board of directors makes no warranty to the safety, efficacy, correctness or completeness of the information posted on this site by any author or poster. The information collated here is for instructional and/or discussion purposes only and is NOT intended to diagnose or treat any disease, illness, or other medical condition. Every individual reader or poster should seek advice from their personal physician/healthcare practitioner before considering or using any interventions that are discussed on this website. By continuing to access this website you agree to consult your personal physican before using any interventions posted on this website, and you agree to hold harmless FluTrackers.com Inc., the board of directors, the members, and all authors and posters for any effects from use of any medication, supplement, vitamin or other substance, device, intervention, etc. mentioned in posts on this website, or other internet venues referenced in posts on this website.
  • We are not asking for any donations. Do not donate to any entity who says they are raising funds for us.

Switzerland - First positive signs for avian flu vaccine tested in two zoos

Pathfinder

Pathfinder

Editor, Senior Moderator
Translation Google

Published yesterday at 1:51 p.m.

First positive signs for avian flu vaccine tested in two Swiss zoos

Switzerland is testing a vaccine against avian flu in wild birds in zoos, notably on flamingos and pelicans. A total of 24 species are part of the trial conducted by the Federal Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI) in Bern.

This research is first of all a response to the avian flu epidemic which has grown since 2021. All of Europe is now affected. The virus was also detected for the first time in Antarctica in late October. It therefore not only affects farmed animals, but also wild birds, certain populations of which are threatened.

This vaccine would make it possible to avoid quarantines and respect the protection of wild birds in zoos. Developed and produced in the laboratories of the Institute of Virology, it is tested at the Basel Zoo and the Bern Animal Park.

First positive signs

"This is a project that we carried out on 320 birds of 24 different species. They were vaccinated twice five weeks apart. During vaccination, we took a little blood. The analyzes are now in progress course to see if they all develop specific antibodies", explained Monday in La Matinale de la RTS the biologist and communications manager of the IVI Nathalie Rochat.

Although it is still early to draw conclusions, the first signs are positive according to her. The results of the trial will be published in principle next January.

Not yet for breeding birds

Currently, there are no plans to vaccinate farmed birds, such as chickens and ducks. Currently, vaccination of animals against avian flu is prohibited in Switzerland. The research team received special permission for their trial on birds from the two zoos.

Several countries are also in the research phase. And since the beginning of October, France has decided to make vaccination compulsory for farms with more than 250 ducks.

Radio subject: Alexandra Richard

Web adaptation: Vincent Cherpillod
...

https://www.rts.ch/info/sciences-te...ppe-aviaire-teste-dans-deux-zoos-suisses.html
​

----------------------------------------------------------

Influenza A viruses
...

Research project: vaccination of zoo birds against highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) viruses using a vector vaccine

Krauskopfpelikan2%20%20web.png


Since 2021, all of Europe has been affected by the largest outbreak ever recorded of highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses of the H5N1 subtype. In addition to commercial poultry, these H5N1 viruses have also infected many species of wild birds, some populations of which are now regionally threatened. As avian flu is a persistent problem and many species of wild birds kept in zoos cannot be kept in quarantine under conditions that meet their needs, it is a matter of protecting them with a vaccine.

Use of an updated vaccine

It has been several years since the IVI developed a vector vaccine based on the non-replicating vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV): an essential gene from this virus was deleted and replaced by a gene from the avian influenza virus. H5N1. The vaccine thus obtained provided complete protection of vaccinated hens against H5N1. In addition, it also makes it possible to distinguish vaccinated animals from animals infected with H5N1 using a simple serological analysis. The IVI adapted the existing vector vaccine using the HA antigen of the currently circulating H5N1 viruses (phylogenetic group 2.3.4.4b).

Protecting wild birds kept in zoos

After the application for authorization for vaccine release was approved, vaccination could begin in August 2023. Since then, 317 birds from 24 species have been vaccinated at the Bern Wildlife Park and Basel Zoo. The animals tolerated the vaccination well and no side effects were observed. Serological analyzes are currently underway, which should show that the animals have developed sufficient antibodies to protect them from infection by highly pathogenic H5N1 viruses. The first reliable results are expected for January 2024.

...
https://www.ivi.admin.ch/ivi/fr/home/themen/vogelgrippe.html
​
 
Translation Google

Avian flu vaccine for zoo birds

Hundreds of birds have been vaccinated against bird flu at Bern Zoo and Basel Zoo. The vaccine, developed in Switzerland, is effective and safe, the leaders of the research project announced to the press on Tuesday.

This content was published on February 11, 2025 - 12:38
3 minutes

(Keystone-ATS) However, this vaccine does not yet have a marketing authorisation and there is no company that would produce it. Zoo animals cannot therefore yet be vaccinated against bird flu on a large scale in Switzerland.

It will take at least two years before we get to that point, said Barbara Wieland, director of the Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI), during a media presentation at the Bernese Tierpark.

An outbreak of bird flu is a horror scenario for zoos: if it were to break out, entire groups of endangered species would have to be culled in the worst case scenario. The infection of a Dalmatian pelican with the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus at Bern Zoo in 2022, which resulted in the precious birds being confined for a long time, highlighted the urgency of this step.

Quarantine

To prevent this, zoo birds are sometimes kept in quarantine conditions: "It is neither good for the health of the animals nor in line with the needs of the species if this is done for a long period of time," stressed Christian Wenker, a veterinarian at Basel Zoo.

With the permission of the Federal Office for the Environment, the zoos in Bern and Basel therefore began a vaccination test in August 2023. A total of 317 animals from 24 different bird species were vaccinated, including pelicans, penguins, eagle owls and web-footed birds.

After each five-week period, the birds received a booster vaccination, which was repeated a year later. According to the scientists, there were no side effects. Blood tests further showed that all birds had produced sufficient antibodies.

The vaccine is different from those against bird flu used, for example, in China, where domestic poultry have been vaccinated against bird flu for more than 20 years. According to the researchers involved, this vaccine would have difficulty being authorized in our country.

The IVI developed the vaccine itself. It is a so-called vector vaccine, based on a genetically modified avian influenza virus. In Switzerland, infections of wild birds with avian influenza have occurred several times in recent months.

https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/un-vaccin-contre-la-grippe-aviaire-pour-les-oiseaux-des-zoos/88858769
 
RNA replicon vaccination confers long-lasting protection against H5N1 avian influenza in 23 zoo bird species
Nature Communications volume 16, Article number: 9245 (2025) Cite this article

Abstract

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 viruses (clade 2.3.4.4b) cause mass mortality in birds and have infected over 50 mammalian species, including humans. Approved avian vaccines remain limited. We report the use of a propagation-defective vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) replicon vaccine, VSV∆G(H5[SUB]mb[/SUB]), encoding a modified H5 hemagglutinin from a 2022 Swiss HPAI isolate. Specific pathogen-free chickens immunized twice intramuscularly develop strong neutralizing antibody responses and are fully protected from lethal H5N1 challenge, without viral shedding. The vaccine is also administered to 317 captive birds across 23 species in Bern Animal Park and Basel Zoo. No side effects are observed. Birds without prior exposure to H5Nx develop strong antibody responses after two doses; previously exposed birds respond after one vaccination. After one year, 98.7% retained significant neutralizing antibody levels, indicating durable protection. These findings suggest that VSV∆G(H5[SUB]mb[/SUB]) is a safe, effective vaccine candidate for broad protection against H5N1 across diverse avian species.
...

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-64301-5
 
New vaccination study in Swiss zoos: protecting zoo birds against bird flu

12
NOV 2025

Under Basel Zoo’s leadership, five Swiss zoos and wildlife parks are investigating whether a vaccination could provide wild birds with effective protection against bird flu. The zoological institutions are hoping that, in the future, this could reduce the need for protective measures such as confining birds indoors. This research project, approved by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) and the cantonal authorities, was launched in October 2025 and is examining the use of a commercially available vaccine under zoo conditions. A study in 2023/24 already achieved positive results using a vector vaccine from the Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI)

Basel Zoo, Zoo Zurich, Bern Animal Park, the Nature Reserve and Wildlife Park Goldau, and Bioparc Geneva are jointly conducting a vaccination study on protecting zoo birds against bird flu. The test subjects comprise more than 700 zoo animals across over 50 species, including penguins, pelicans, flamingos and owls, as well as pigeons and doves, fowl, waterfowl, flightless birds and ibises. The aim of this study is to examine the effectiveness and tolerance of a commercial vaccine in threatened wild birds and compare the immune response found in different bird species. It also seeks to clarify whether the vaccination could be used in future to avoid protective measures that are restrictive for the animals, such as confining them indoors. The vaccination has been tested on chickens and has been used on ducks for fattening in France

Vaccination permitted for research purposes only

In Switzerland, vaccination against bird flu is prohibited. Thus far, the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office (FSVO) and the cantons involved have only approved vaccinations as part of research projects. In 2023/24, Basel Zoo, Bern Animal Park and the Institute of Virology and Immunology (IVI) were able to test the safety and effectiveness of a vector vaccine to protect zoo birds against highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses (H5N1). The study confirmed that a vaccine could provide safe and effective protection for wild birds against bird flu. The study article was published on 20 October 2025.[1]

Central research questions

This second study, with a commercial vaccine and additional project partners, is seeking to provide new insights into whether a vaccine could be considered as an additional preventative measure to combat the spread of bird flu in zoo animals and wild animals. The areas investigated will include whether the vaccine could provide a booster effect for animals in Basel and Bern that have already been vaccinated, and whether previously unvaccinated birds in Zurich, Goldau and Geneva produce a sufficient immune response.

Process

The protective vaccinations against bird flu began at all participating sites in October or November 2025. Previously vaccinated birds received a single vaccine dose, while unvaccinated birds received two doses administered four weeks apart. Blood tests are being taken at set intervals to assess immune response and the duration of vaccine protection. If the results are satisfactory, the vaccine will be deployed again the following season (2026/27) and investigated in zoo birds.

What makes this study special is that it is being conducted under zoo conditions, rather than in a laboratory. It forms part of a doctoral thesis project that will take at least two years. IVI is providing scientific support for the study and conducting laboratory analyses. Initial results are expected in the summer of 2026.

[1] Stettler, M., Hoby, S., Wenker, C., Wyss, F., Heiderich, E., Butticaz, L., Ruggli, N., Darpel, K. and Zimmer G. 2025. RNA replicon vaccination confers long-lasting protection against H5N1 avian influenza in 23 zoo bird species. Nature Communications 16:9245. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-64301-5


​https://www.zoobasel.ch/en/aktuelle...zoos-schutz-von-zoovoegeln-gegen-vogelgrippe/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top