Abstract

Human interferon has been successfully used against viral infections and
neoplastic disease in humans, but extensive clinical trials in poultry, where
viral diseases are of major concern in farm productivity, have not been
conducted and therefore, the aim of the present review is to shed more light
in evaluating the effectiveness of alpha and gamma avian interferons in
reducing the mortality caused by prevalent viral infections in poultry.
The review was performed in accordance with the guidelines of Preferred
Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA).
A thorough search was conducted in Pub Med and Science Direct.
An aleatory effect meta- analysis was accomplished and odd-ratios were
calculated, based on the program JAMOVI, version 2.3.28, pointing out a
confidence interval of 95%.
A statistically significant relationship was found in four selected studies,
between the use of recombinant avian alpha and gamma interferons and
reduction of mortality caused by prevalent viral diseases of poultry.
The aforementioned evidence points to the probable inference that treatment
with recombinant alpha and gamma interferons of avian origin, significantly
reduce mortality rates in poultry exposed to viruses of prevalent diseases
such as Infectious Bronchitis, Infectious Bursal Disease and Newcastle
Disease.

Key words: recombinant interferon, alpha interferon, gamma interferon, avian interferons, vaccination, viral diseases of poultry.