Systems and methods for monitoring the effectiveness of herpesvirus-based vaccines in animal populations - Patents.com

Abstract

The presently disclosed subject matter is directed to systems and methods for monitoring the effectiveness of a herpesvirus-based vaccine in an animal population that include a processing circuit configured to obtain one or more tissue samples from one or more individual animals in the animal population; sequence each of the tissue samples; calculate a score associated with the animal population based on the sequence of the tissue samples; compare the score to a benchmark determined from a dataset including data related to the effectiveness of the herpesvirus-based vaccine in a plurality of animal populations; and perform an action in response to the comparison to the benchmark.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of systems and methods for monitoring the effectiveness of vaccines in animal populations. [Background technology]

[0002] Domestic animals are animals that have been selectively bred and genetically adapted over generations to coexist with humans. Domesticated animals are classified into three main groups: companion animals (e.g. dogs and cats), working or draft animals (e.g. horses, donkeys, camels), and animals raised for food (e.g. sheep, cattle, pigs, poultry, etc.).

[0003] Like any other animal, the health of livestock is continually threatened by infectious agents and pathogens. For example, in the commercial poultry industry, diseases caused by pathogens such as Newcastle Disease (ND), Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD), Infectious Laryngotracheitis (ILT), Avian Influenza (AI), Marek's Disease (MD), etc. pose a constant threat to the welfare of poultry flocks.

[0004] To protect their poultry flocks from diseases, poultry farmers rely on vaccination and biosecurity. Vaccination programs and vaccine application methods vary based on multiple factors, such as type of production (egg-laying birds, breeding birds, or meat birds), type of vaccine (e.g., live, attenuated, killed, DNA-based, or recombinant), type of pathogen, disease endemicity, local preferences, and cost. Regardless of what vaccine is used or how it is applied, the ultimate goal of vaccination is to achieve immunological protection against a specific disease.

[0005] One efficient way to do so is by using recombinant vaccines, which are vaccines produced by recombinant DNA technology that involve the insertion of DNA encoding an antigen (pathogen surface protein, e.g., bacterial surface protein, viral surface protein, etc.) to stimulate an immune response. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Herpesviruses, due to their unique ability to incorporate large amounts of foreign genetic material, create persistent replication-competent infections in the host, and transition between active and latent phases during which they generate long-term immunity, are one favorable candidate for recombinant vaccines to serve as carriers of targeted viral genes of pathogens that threaten the well-being of animal populations. However, the transitional nature of herpesviruses between latent and active phases and the large variability between animals and breeds creates challenges when attempting to monitor or evaluate the efficacy of herpesvirus-based vaccines. For example, a poultry flock vaccinated with a herpesvirus-based vaccine may contain birds carrying different levels of herpesvirus load over time, thus creating uncertainty when monitoring or determining the efficacy of a herpesvirus-based vaccine in a particular vaccinated poultry flock.

[0007] Thus, there is a need in the art for new systems and methods for monitoring the effectiveness of herpes-based vaccines in animal populations. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to a first aspect of the presently disclosed subject matter, there is provided a method for monitoring the effectiveness of a herpesvirus-based vaccine in an animal population, the method comprising: obtaining one or more tissue samples from one or more respective animals in the animal population; ordering each tissue sample; calculating a score associated with the animal population based on the ordering of the tissue samples; comparing the score to a benchmark determined from a dataset including data related to the effectiveness of the herpesvirus-based vaccine in a plurality of animal populations; and performing an action in response to the comparison with the benchmark.

[0009] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the herpesvirus-based vaccine involves the use of herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT).

[0010] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the animal population is a poultry flock.

[0011] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the flock of poultry is a flock of chickens.

[0012] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, following the administration step, each tissue sample is given an individual score related to the level of herpesvirus-based vaccine within the respective tissue sample.

[0013] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the score associated with the animal population is a weighted arithmetic mean of the individual scores associated with the tissue samples.

[0014] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the one or more tissue samples are samples obtained from one or more organs of one or more respective animals, the one or more organs consisting of feather pulp, spleen and bursa of Fabricius.

[0015] In one embodiment of the subject matter of this disclosure and / or embodiments thereof, the action involves sending a notification indicating that the score is below a threshold.

[0016] In one embodiment of the subject matter of this disclosure and / or embodiments thereof, notification is provided to the end user.

[0017] In one embodiment of the subject matter of the present disclosure and / or embodiments thereof, the action involves providing the end user with at least one potential action aimed at improving the score.

[0018] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the one or more tissue samples are imprinted on a designated card.

[0019] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the data set is continuously updated.

[0020] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the data set is updated at predetermined intervals.

[0021] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the one or more tissue samples are obtained from one or more respective animals of a particular animal age range.

[0022] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the particular animal age range is 21 to 25 days.

[0023] According to a second aspect of the subject matter of the present disclosure, there is provided a system for monitoring the effectiveness of a herpesvirus-based vaccine in an animal population, the system including processing circuitry configured to obtain one or more tissue samples from one or more individual animals in the animal population; sequence each of the tissue samples; calculate a score associated with the animal population based on the sequence of the tissue samples; compare the score to a benchmark determined from a dataset including data related to the effectiveness of the herpesvirus-based vaccine in a plurality of animal populations; and perform an action in response to the comparison to the benchmark.

[0024] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the herpesvirus-based vaccine involves the use of herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT).

[0025] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the animal population is a poultry flock.

[0026] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the flock of poultry is a flock of chickens.

[0027] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, following the administration step, each tissue sample is given an individual score related to the level of herpesvirus-based vaccine within the respective tissue sample.

[0028] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the score associated with the animal population is a weighted arithmetic mean of the individual scores associated with the tissue samples.

[0029] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the one or more tissue samples are samples obtained from one or more organs of one or more respective animals, the one or more organs consisting of feather pulp, spleen and bursa of Fabricius.

[0030] In one embodiment of the subject matter of this disclosure and / or embodiments thereof, the action involves sending a notification indicating that the score is below a threshold.

[0031] In one embodiment of the subject matter of this disclosure and / or embodiments thereof, notification is provided to the end user.

[0032] In one embodiment of the subject matter of the present disclosure and / or embodiments thereof, the action involves providing the end user with at least one potential action aimed at improving the score.

[0033] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the one or more tissue samples are imprinted on a designated card.

[0034] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the data set is continuously updated.

[0035] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the data set is updated at predetermined intervals.

[0036] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the one or more tissue samples are obtained from one or more respective animals of a particular animal age range.

[0037] In one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter and / or embodiments thereof, the particular animal age range is 21 to 25 days.

[0038] According to a third aspect of the subject matter of the present disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code being executable by at least one processor to perform a method of monitoring the effectiveness of a herpesvirus-based vaccine in an animal population, the monitoring of the effectiveness of a herpesvirus-based vaccine comprising one or more components, the method including obtaining one or more tissue samples of one or more individual animals in the animal population; ordering each of the tissue samples; calculating a score associated with the animal population based on the ordering of the tissue samples; comparing the score to a benchmark determined from a dataset comprising data related to the effectiveness of the herpesvirus-based vaccine in a plurality of animal populations; and performing an action in response to the comparison to the benchmark.

[0039] In order to understand the subject matter of the present disclosure and to see how it may be carried out in practice, that subject matter will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0040] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the operation of a system for monitoring the effectiveness of a herpesvirus-based vaccine in an animal population in accordance with the presently disclosed subject matter. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates a schematic of an example of a system for monitoring the effectiveness of a herpesvirus-based vaccine in an animal population in accordance with the presently disclosed subject matter. [Diagram 3] 1 is a flow chart illustrating an example series of actions performed by a system for monitoring the effectiveness of a herpesvirus-based vaccine in an animal population in accordance with the subject matter of the present disclosure. [Figure 4A] 1 is a graph showing an example of the ratio of the percentage of positive samples in different breeds and different animal ages according to the presently disclosed subject matter. [Figure 4B]1 is a graph showing an example of the ratio of the percentage of positive samples in different breeds and different animal ages according to the presently disclosed subject matter. [Figure 4C] 1 is a graph showing an example of the ratio of the percentage of positive samples in different breeds and different animal ages according to the presently disclosed subject matter. [Figure 4D] 1 is a graph showing an example of the ratio of the percentage of positive samples in different breeds and different animal ages according to the presently disclosed subject matter. [Diagram 5] 1 is a graph showing an example of different trends in different breeds of the same animal species, in accordance with the subject matter of the present disclosure. [Figure 6A] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the operation of the summary score system according to the subject matter of this disclosure. [Figure 6B] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the operation of the summary score system according to the subject matter of this disclosure. [Figure 7A] FIG. 1 is a dashboard diagram of an example of the status of an animal population's scores compared to a threshold or benchmark, in accordance with the subject matter of the present disclosure. [Figure 7B] FIG. 1 is a dashboard diagram of an example of the status of an animal population's scores compared to a threshold or benchmark, in accordance with the subject matter of the present disclosure. [Figure 7C] FIG. 1 is a dashboard diagram of an example of the status of an animal population's scores compared to a threshold or benchmark, in accordance with the subject matter of the present disclosure. [Figure 8] 1 is a dot graph illustrating an example of the state of vaccination quality in an animal population over time compared to a threshold or benchmark, in accordance with the presently disclosed subject matter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0041] In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the subject matter of the present disclosure. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the subject matter of the present disclosure can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0042] In the drawings and descriptions set forth, like reference numbers indicate components that are common to different embodiments or configurations.

[0043] Unless specifically stated otherwise, as will be apparent from the discussion below, discussions throughout this specification using terms such as "obtaining," "ordering," "calculating," "comparing," "executing," "receiving," and the like include computational actions and / or processes that manipulate and / or transform data into other data, where the data is represented as a physical quantity, e.g., an electronic quantity, and / or the data represents a physical object. The terms "computer," "processor," "processing resource," "processing circuitry," and "controller" should be interpreted broadly to include any type of electronic device with data processing capabilities, including, but not limited to, personal desktop / laptop computers, servers, computing systems, communication devices, smartphones, tablet computers, smart televisions, processors (e.g., digital signal processors (DSPs), microcontrollers, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), groups of multiple physical machines that share performance for various tasks, virtual servers coexisting on a single physical machine, any other electronic computing device, and / or combinations thereof.

[0044] Operations according to the teachings herein may be performed by a computer specially configured for the desired purpose, or by a general-purpose computer specially configured for the desired purpose by a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The term "non-transitory" is used herein to exclude transitory propagating signals, but otherwise includes any volatile or non-volatile computer memory technology suitable for the application.

[0045] As used herein, the phrases "for example," "such as," "for instance," and variations thereof describe non-limiting embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter. The use of "in some instances," "in other instances," "in other instances," or variations thereof herein means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter. Thus, occurrences of the phrases "in some instances," "in other instances," "in other instances," or variations thereof do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0046] It is understood that, unless specifically stated otherwise, certain features of the presently disclosed subject matter, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the presently disclosed subject matter, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination.

[0047] In embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter, fewer, more, and / or different steps may be performed than those shown in FIG. 3. In embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter, one or more steps shown in FIG. 3 may be performed in a different order and / or one or more groups of steps may be performed simultaneously. FIGS. 1 and 2 show an overall schematic diagram of a system architecture according to one embodiment of the presently disclosed subject matter. Each module of FIG. 2 may be comprised of any combination of software, hardware, and / or firmware that performs the functions defined and described herein. The modules of FIG. 2 may be centralized or distributed across multiple locations. In other embodiments of the presently disclosed subject matter, the system may include fewer, more, and / or different modules than those shown in FIG. 2.

[0048] References in this specification to a method should apply mutatis mutandis to a system capable of performing that method, and should also apply mutatis mutandis to a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, result in the performance of the method.

[0049] References herein to a system should also apply mutatis mutandis to methods that may be performed by that system, and to a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that may be executed by that system.

[0050] References in this specification to non-transitory computer readable media should apply mutatis mutandis to a system capable of executing instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable media, and should also apply mutatis mutandis to a method that can be implemented by a computer reading instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable media.

[0051] References herein throughout the text to the term "efficacy" may refer, for example, to efficacy, and more specifically, to vaccine uptake.

[0052] By way of introduction, the presently disclosed subject matter provides methods for monitoring a vaccine program in an animal population, such as a hard-to-vaccinate animal population, where monitoring vaccination success, uptake, and / or efficacy is considered difficult.

[0053] With this in mind, attention is directed to FIG. 1 , which illustrates a schematic diagram of the operation of a system (also referred to interchangeably herein as the “system”) for monitoring the effectiveness of a herpesvirus-based vaccine in an animal population in accordance with the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0054] As shown in the schematic, an animal population 100, such as a poultry flock, is vaccinated with a herpesvirus-based vaccine 102. The herpesvirus-based vaccine 102 can be, for example, a recombinant vaccine involving the use of a herpesvirus, such as Herpesvirus of Turkeys (HVT), to act as a carrier of one or more target viral genes of a pathogen that poses a threat to the well-being of the animal population 100. The one or more target viral genes can include, for example, the fusion (F) gene of Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV), the VP2 gene of Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (IBDV), the glycoprotein gene of Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus (ILTV), and the like.

[0055] Administration of the herpes virus-based vaccine 102 can be by subcutaneous injection, for example on chicken day 1-5, and in certain instances on chicken day 1, or by embryo injection (in ovo) on chicken day 10-30, and in certain instances on chicken day 17-19, for example using an in ovo injector that creates a small hole in the blunt end of an embryonated egg and delivers the herpes virus-based vaccine through the small hole created into the fetal body or amniotic fluid.

[0056] It should be noted that administration of the vaccine 102 can also be done by other methods and techniques known in the art and in chickens of different animal ages, such as eye / nose drops, spray vaccination, vaccination by dosing pump, drinking water vaccination, feed vaccination, wing prick method, beak dip method, etc.

[0057] After inoculation of the animal population 100 with the herpesvirus-based vaccine 102, and once the herpesvirus-based vaccine 102 has reached its replication peak, groups of animals (represented by reference numbers 104a-104d) of the animal population 100 are selected to validate and monitor the efficacy of the herpesvirus-based vaccine 102 in the animal population 100. The replication peak may vary depending on, for example, the route of injection, the type of bird, the type of rHVT, etc. Selection of groups of animals of the animal population 100 may be done randomly or based on various considerations, such as the characteristics of the animals, the status within the population, etc.

[0058] As an example, a chicken flock 100 containing approximately 50 chickens is vaccinated against Newcastle Disease (ND) with a recombinant herpesvirus of turkeys (rHVT) vaccine 102. The rHVT vaccine 102 containing the fusion (F) gene of Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) is injected into the chicken flock 100 by embryo injection (in ovo) on days 17-19 of incubation. Two to three weeks after inoculation, a group of 20 chickens is randomly selected to monitor and measure the efficacy of the recombinant herpesvirus of turkeys (rHVT) vaccine 102 against Newcastle Disease (ND) in the chicken flock 100.

[0059] Attention is now directed to a further description of the components of the system for monitoring the efficacy of the vaccine 200.

[0060] FIG. 2 is a block diagram that illustrates a schematic of an example of a system for monitoring the effectiveness of a vaccine 200 in accordance with the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0061] In accordance with the subject matter of the present disclosure, a system 200 for monitoring vaccine effectiveness (also interchangeably referred to herein as "system 200") can include a network interface 206. The network interface 206 (e.g., a network card, a Wi-Fi client, a Li-Fi client, a 3G / 4G client, or any other component) can enable the system 200 to communicate with external systems over a network and can handle inbound and outbound communications from such systems. For example, the vaccine effectiveness monitoring system 200 can receive data via the network interface 206 from an external benchmarking system that can provide a data set related to the effectiveness of herpes virus-based vaccines in multiple animal populations.

[0062] The system 200 may further include or be otherwise associated with a data repository 204 (e.g., a database, a storage system, a memory such as a read only memory - ROM, a random access memory - RAM, or any other type of memory) configured to store data. Some examples of data that may be stored in the data repository 204 include: · number of tissue samples collected from 100 animal populations; · Individual scores associated with tissue samples collected from 100 animal populations; a score associated with the animal population 100, calculated based on the individual scores of tissue samples collected from that animal population 100; · potential actions provided to an end user in response to the end user's score associated with the animal population 100 being below a threshold or benchmark; A definition of the various notifications that may be provided by the system 200; and Information about the organ or organs from which all or part of the tissue sample was obtained.

[0063] The data repository 204 can further be configured to allow retrieval and / or updating and / or deletion of the stored data. It should be noted that while in some cases the data repository 204 can be distributed, the system 200 can access the information stored in the data repository 204, for example, via a wired or wireless network to which the system 200 can connect (utilizing the network interface 206).

[0064] System 200 further includes processing circuitry 202. Processing circuitry 202 can be one or more processing units (e.g., central processing units), microprocessors, microcontrollers (e.g., microcontroller units (MCUs)), or any other computing device or module, including multiple and / or parallel and / or distributed processing units adapted to control associated system 200 resources and process data independently or cooperatively to enable system 200 resource-related operations.

[0065] The processing circuit 202 includes a vaccine efficacy determination module 208 configured to perform an efficacy analysis process, as described in further detail herein with particular reference to FIG.

[0066] Turning now to FIG. 3, a flow chart is shown illustrating an example sequence of operations performed in a system 200 for monitoring vaccine effectiveness in accordance with the subject matter of this disclosure.

[0067] Thus, a system 200 for monitoring vaccine effectiveness (hereinafter interchangeably referred to as “system 200 ”) may be configured to perform the monitoring process 300 using, for example, a vaccine effectiveness module 208 .

[0068] In this regard, in accordance with the description above with reference to Figure 1, the system 200 obtains (block 302) one or more tissue samples of a selected group of animals from the animal population 100. Next, one or more tissue samples obtained from different organs, such as feather pulp, spleen, bursa of Fabricius, etc., of the selected animals may be processed, for example, by being printed on a designation card with instructions to denature proteins and protect nucleic acids in the sample. In one example, a spleen sample is obtained from each chicken in the selected group of chickens, and each sample is later imprinted on a Whatman® FTA® card.

[0069] In some cases, one or more tissue samples are obtained from a selected group of animals within a particular animal age range, e.g., between 10 and 30 days of age, and in a more specific example, between 21 and 25 days of age. Because the optimal sampling age for a vaccine, in a particular example, an HVT-based vaccine, varies, identifying an ideal animal age (or animal age range) at which to obtain tissue samples from a selected group of animals can improve the system 200's efficiency and effectiveness. The particular animal age range can be determined, for example, by analyzing data associated with multiple animals of different animal ages within a breed to detect trends within the multiple animal samples. The trends can be detected, for example, by calculating the average percent positive of samples across various animal ages and identifying the animal age range in which the peak percent positive is most likely to be. It should be noted that trends within multiple animal samples can vary, for example, by flock, geography (e.g., animals from different regions, continents, habitats, one side of the world, etc.), bird species (e.g., chickens and turkeys, chickens and ducks, etc.), breed (e.g., brummers and buckeyes, chanteclers and brummers, etc.), etc. 4A-4D show the percent positive for meat and layer breeds across different animal ages. As shown in all figures, the age range where the percent positive is most likely to peak is between 21 and 25 for both breeds. FIG. 5 shows an example of a graph 400 showing the trends for five different breeds of animals. The trends were confirmed based on samples taken from the feather pulp of each breed's group of animals. As can be seen from FIG. 5, the trends for meat and meat breeds showed the highest peak on day 22, while the commercial white layer breed, commercial brown layer breed, and SPF breed showed the highest peak on other days. This shows the large difference in the ideal sampling age that can be observed within the same animal breed, and therefore the need to implement different approaches even within the same animal type (let alone different animal types).

[0070] Returning to FIG. 3, once tissue samples of the selected group of animals from the animal population 100 are obtained, the system 200 sequences the genetic material (e.g., DNA molecules) extracted from each tissue sample using any sequencing technology known in the art capable of performing large scale sequencing, for example, next generation sequencing (NGS) (e.g., Roche 454, GS FLX Titanium, Illumina MiSeq, Illumina HiSeq, Illumina Genome Analyzer IIX, Life Technologies SOLiD4, Life Technologies Ion Proton, Complete Genomics, Helicos Biosciences Heliscope, Pacific Biosciences SMRT, etc.) (Block 304). Sequencing allows for amplification of genetic markers associated with the herpes virus-based vaccine 102, confirming the presence and amount of the vaccine in the selected group of vaccinated animals from the animal population 100. In our continuing example, the system 200 determines the rank order of the DNA molecules extracted from each of the tissue samples (in this case spleen tissue samples) obtained from the selected group of chickens.

[0071] Once sequencing of each tissue sample is complete, the system 200 utilizes the sequencing results for that tissue sample to calculate a score associated with the animal population 100 (block 306). The sequencing results for the tissue samples can be either positive or negative values ​​and can also include a quantification of viral load (e.g., copy number of the virus in each sample). The score can be determined, for example, by first providing each tissue sample with an individual score associated with the level of herpes virus-based vaccine 102 therein and then calculating a weighted arithmetic mean of the individual scores. Alternatively, the score can be determined by calculating the percent of positive samples for the tissue samples obtained, or by using a summary scoring system (best shown in Figures 6A-6B).

[0072] It should be noted that the summary scoring system can be part of the system 200 or can be an external system that is external to and in communication with the system 200.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 6A , in accordance with our continuing example, following the ordering of each spleen sample from a group of selected chickens, the summary scoring system generates a graph 500 including, for example, an x-axis 502 representing the spleen samples from the selected chickens, a y-axis 504 representing the number of copies of the virus found within the spleen samples and normalized to a value between 0 and 3, on which are distributed 20 dots, each of which represents the vaccine test score of a spleen sample obtained from a particular chicken.

[0074] To determine the score associated with the flock 100 of chickens, the summary score system determines a cutoff score, e.g., 0.358, score ranges, e.g., 0-0.358, 0.358-1, 1-2, and 2 or greater, and a list of new scores, e.g., 0, 1, 2, and 3, where each new score is associated with a score range (see FIG. 6B). The score ranges can be validated, for example, using an external validation dataset that includes, for example, information about the health of each chicken in the selected flock of chickens, such that the health status of each chicken correlates with its vaccination rate and, therefore, its corresponding score range.

[0075] It should be noted that the external validation data set may be part of the system 200 or may be external to the system 200 with which it can be communicated.

[0076] The summary score system defines the prevalence within each score range by taking the number of dots distributed within it out of the total number of 20 dots (FIG. 6B, percentage line) and multiplying it by the new score associated with the corresponding score range (FIG. 6B, new score line). The results of these calculations are then summarized into a final score, which is the score associated with the flock of chickens 100 (FIG. 6B, final score line). As shown in FIG. 6B, the score associated with the selected flock of 20 chickens and the score associated with the flock of chickens 100 is 1.65.

[0077] Once the score associated with the animal population 100 is determined, the system 200 compares it to a threshold or benchmark. The threshold or benchmark serves as a reference point representing an industry standard (or a standard for a subgroup within an industry) for a particular animal population, e.g., a particular bird, a particular breed, etc., such that an end user (e.g., a farmer) of the system 200 can receive information regarding the effectiveness of the vaccine 102 on that user's animal population 100 compared to the industry standard. Additionally, the comparison to the threshold or benchmark can further provide the end user with information regarding the effectiveness of the vaccine 102 on the animal population 100 over time, both as compared to itself and as compared to the industry standard. The threshold or benchmark can be determined, for example, by analyzing one or more data sets (e.g., continuously updated or updated over a predetermined period of time, e.g., hourly, daily, monthly, semi-annually, annually) that include data related to the effectiveness of the herpesvirus-based vaccine 102 in one or more other animal populations (block 308). The threshold or benchmark can be, for example, an average of multiple scores each associated with an animal population administered the herpesvirus-based vaccine 102. The one or more other animal populations can vary, for example, by population geography (e.g., animals from different regions, continents, habitats, sides of the world, etc.), bird species (e.g., chickens and turkeys, chickens and ducks, etc.), breed (e.g., brummers and buckeyes, chanteclers and brummers, etc.), etc. Additionally, each of the one or more other animal populations can be, for example, a population of the same animal type or related animal types that are expected or known to have similar results of herpesvirus-based vaccine efficacy.

[0078] In our continuing example, the threshold or benchmark, which is the average of the scores associated with the chicken populations vaccinated with the herpesvirus (rHVT) vaccine 102, is defined as 1.75, below which the score associated with chicken flock 100 (1.65) is recognized.

[0079] In some cases, as shown in Figures 7A-7C, an indication of the status of the score associated with the animal population 100 compared to a threshold or benchmark may be presented, for example, on a dashboard 600. In Figures 7A-7C, the dashboard 600, which extends from a minimum value range 602 to a maximum value 604, includes a black line 606 representing the threshold (or benchmark) location and a needle 608 representing the score associated with the animal population 100. If the score associated with the animal population 100 exceeds the threshold (or benchmark) value, the needle 608 is to the right of the black line 606 and a "Good" notification is presented to the user along with the score value (Figure 7A). If the score associated with the animal population 100 is below the threshold (or benchmark) value but above the minimum value range 602, the needle 608 is to the left of the black line 606 and a "Caution" notification is presented to the user (Figure 7B). Finally, if the score associated with the animal population 100 is within the minimum value range 602, a "Warning" notification is presented to the user (Figure 7C).

[0080] If the score associated with the animal population 100 is below the threshold (or benchmark), the system 200 performs an action (block 310). This action may include, for example, providing a notification (e.g., to an end user or an external system) indicating that the score is below the threshold (or benchmark) and providing a recommendation to the end user to perform at least one remedial action aimed at improving the score associated with the animal population 100. In our continuing example, because the score for the chicken flock 100 is below the threshold (or benchmark) (1.65 vs. 1.75), the system 200 sends a notification to the end user indicating the situation along with a list of remedial actions, e.g., check hatchery vaccine storage location, check hatchery vaccine application, check sample collection, check vaccine preparation time and temperature, etc. These actions are aimed at moving the score associated with the animal population 100 (1.65) higher, e.g., at least above the threshold (or benchmark) (1.75).

[0081] It should be noted that the examples provided above and the values ​​associated with these examples are used for purposes of clarity and explanation and are not intended to limit the scope of the subject matter of this disclosure in any way.

[0082] In addition to sending notifications or providing potential actions, system 200 may provide testing information to the end user, such as graph 700 (as shown in FIG. 8 ), to provide the end user with an indication of the status of vaccination quality over time in the animal population 100 compared to a threshold (or benchmark). Alternatively or additionally, system 200 may provide testing information to the end user over time by bird type (e.g., chicken vs. turkey), breed (e.g., meat type vs. egg type), etc.

[0083] In some cases, notifications, potential actions, and testing information are presented to the end user via a mobile application (or other similar software) that is in communication with the system 200. For example, the mobile application may allow the end user to view test results associated with that user's animal population 100, past testing information associated with that user's animal population 100, and comparisons of that user's animal population 100 to different benchmarks.

[0084] In some cases, the system 200 further includes a machine learning module that receives additional information from the obtained tissue samples related to the success or failure of administering the herpes virus-based vaccine 102 to the animal population 100. The additional information that can be collected within a certain time interval from the vaccine administration (e.g., 2-3 weeks from the vaccine administration) can include, for example, information regarding the likelihood of the occurrence in the animal population 100 of the disease targeted by the vaccine 102, the production of specific antibodies related to the specific disease targeted by the herpes virus-based vaccine 102, etc. Based on the additional information, the machine learning module can determine whether the vaccine administration to the animal population 100 was successful or unsuccessful. Furthermore, the machine learning module can be trained based on, for example, the additional information from the obtained tissue samples to find correlations between the additional information, the thresholds (or benchmarks) or limits of the dashboard 600, and the actual success or failure of the vaccine, and adjust the thresholds (or benchmarks) or limits of the dashboard 600 accordingly. For example, in situations where benchmarks may differ for different bird breeds or types, the machine learning module may adjust the thresholds (or benchmarks) and limits of the dashboard 600 according to each bird breed or type.

[0085] In other cases, the machine learning module can be trained to utilize additional information received from tissue samples of new breeds or new animal types to determine trends within these tissue samples and, from these trends, identify ideal ranges of days within which tissue samples from the new breed or bird type should be obtained.

[0086] It should be noted that, with reference to Figure 3, some of the blocks may be combined into a combined block, or may be divided into several blocks, and / or other blocks may be added. It should also be noted that some of the blocks are optional. It should also be noted that, although the flow diagrams are described in terms of system elements that implement them, this is in no way binding and the blocks may be performed by elements other than those described herein.

[0087] It should be understood that the subject matter of the present disclosure is not limited in its application to the details described in the description contained herein or depicted in the drawings. The subject matter of the present disclosure is capable of other embodiments and can be practiced and carried out in various ways. It should therefore be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. Thus, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the concepts underlying the present disclosure can be readily utilized as a basis for designing other structures, methods and systems for carrying out some of the purposes of the subject matter of the present disclosure.

[0088] It will also be appreciated that the systems according to the presently disclosed subject matter may be implemented, at least in part, as a suitably programmed computer. Similarly, the presently disclosed subject matter contemplates a computer program readable by a computer for performing the disclosed methods. The presently disclosed subject matter further contemplates a machine-readable memory tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine for performing the disclosed methods.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring the effect of a herpes virus-based vaccine in an animal population, comprising: vaccinating at least one animal of the animal population with the vaccine; obtaining one or more tissue samples from one or more respective animals of the animal population; ordering the respective tissue samples and evaluating the presence and amount of the vaccine in one or more of the tissue samples; calculating a score related to the animal population based on the presence and amount; comparing the score with a benchmark determined from a dataset including data related to the effect of the herpes virus-based vaccine in a plurality of animal populations; and performing an action in response to the comparison with the benchmark The method comprising.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the use of herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT) is involved in the herpes virus-based vaccine.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the animal population is a flock of poultry.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein following the ordering step, each tissue sample is given an individual score related to the presence and amount of the herpes virus-based vaccine within the respective tissue sample.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the score related to the animal population is a weighted arithmetic mean of the individual scores related to the tissue samples.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the action involves sending a notification indicating that the score is below the threshold.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the action involves providing at least one potential action aimed at improving the score to an end user.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the one or more tissue samples are obtained from one or more respective animals within a specific animal age range.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the specific animal age range is from day 21 to day 25.

10. A system for monitoring the effect of a herpes virus-based vaccine in an animal population, the system comprising: obtaining one or more tissue samples from one or more individual animals of the animal population; wherein vaccinating at least one animal of the animal population with the vaccine; Order each of the tissue samples and evaluate the presence and amount of the vaccine in one or more of the tissue samples; Calculate a score related to the animal population based on the presence and amount; Compare the score with a benchmark obtained from a dataset containing data related to the effectiveness of the herpes virus-based vaccine in multiple animal populations; Execute an action in response to the comparison with the benchmark A system comprising a processing circuit configured as such.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein the use of the herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT) is involved in the herpes virus-based vaccine.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the animal population is a flock of poultry.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein following the ordering step, each of the tissue samples is given an individual score related to the presence and amount of the herpes virus-based vaccine within each respective tissue sample.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the score related to the animal population is a weighted arithmetic mean of the individual scores related to the tissue samples.

15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the one or more tissue samples are samples obtained from one or more organs of the one or more respective animals, and the one or more organs consist of feather pulp, spleen, and bursa of Fabricius.

16. The system according to claim 10, wherein the action involves sending a notification indicating that the score is below the threshold.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the action involves providing at least one potential action aimed at improving the score to an end user.

18. The system according to claim 10, wherein the one or more tissue samples are obtained from the one or more respective animals within a specific animal age range.

19. The system according to claim 10, wherein the specific animal age range is 21 days to 25 days.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium in which computer-readable program code is incorporated, The computer-readable program code can be executed by at least one processor to perform a method of monitoring the effect of a herpes virus-based vaccine in an animal population, and the monitoring of the effect of the herpes virus-based vaccine includes one or more components, the method comprising: administering the vaccine to at least one animal of the animal population; obtaining one or more tissue samples of one or more individual animals of the animal population; ordering each of the tissue samples and evaluating the presence and amount of the vaccine in the one or more tissue samples; calculating a score related to the animal population based on the presence and amount; comparing the score with a benchmark obtained from a data set including data related to the effect of the herpes virus-based vaccine in a plurality of animal populations; and performing an action in response to the comparison with the benchmark A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising.

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