Gallid alphaherpesvirus 1 (ILTV)

Gallid alphaherpesvirus 1 (GaHV-1), commonly known as Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus (ILTV), is a highly contagious alphaherpesvirus that serves as the causative agent of infectious laryngotracheitis, a major respiratory disease in chickens and other poultry [1, 6]. The virus infects the upper respiratory tract, causing severe inflammation, necrosis, and hemorrhaging of the laryngeal and tracheal mucosa, which leads to symptoms such as gasping, coughing, and the expectoration of bloody mucus [9, 13]. A hallmark of ILTV is its ability to establish lifelong latent infections in the trigeminal ganglia of the host, with stress-induced reactivation causing periodic viral shedding and widespread transmission [5, 12]. While the virus itself is a pathogen rather than a therapeutic target in the traditional molecular sense, its structural proteins are the focus of extensive vaccine development [2, 7]. Currently, control strategies rely on biosecurity and the use of live-attenuated or recombinant viral-vectored vaccines, though challenges remain regarding vaccine-induced reversion to virulence and the emergence of novel strains through viral recombination [11, 14].

Other names

Infectious laryngotracheitis virusGallid herpesvirus 1GaHV-1Iltovirus gallidalpha1Avian infectious laryngotracheitis virus

Vaccines targeting Gallid alphaherpesvirus 1 work by inducing active immunity, involving the production of neutralizing antibodies against viral envelope glycoproteins (primarily gB, gC, and gD) and the stimulation of cell-mediated immune responses (T-cell activation) to control viral replication and inhibit the establishment of infection [2, 10, 12].