BAU develops country’s first vaccine against duck plague to safeguard the duck farming industry

In a landmark scientific achievement, researchers at Bangladesh Agricultural University (BAU) have developed the nation’s first-ever duck plague vaccine, marking a major step toward protecting Bangladesh’s duck population from one of its deadliest viral threats.

Duck farmers across the country may soon see relief from devastating outbreaks, as a BAU research team has successfully created two vaccines—an inactivated and a live attenuated version—to combat duck plague, a disease that has long plagued the country’s duck industry.

The research was carried out under the project “Development of Low-Cost Inactivated and Live Attenuated Duck Plague Vaccine Using Local Duck Plague Virus”, a component of the Livestock and Dairy Development Project, with the goal of developing an affordable and effective preventive solution.

The initiative was led by Professor Dr. Md. Bahanur Rahman, Dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at BAU, with PhD fellow Dr. Laila Yasmin and Professor Dr. Md. Ferdous Ur Rahman Khan of the Department of Microbiology and Hygiene serving as Co-Principal Investigator.

Professor Rahman confirmed that both vaccines have already passed successful testing. “This is a remarkable development for Bangladesh’s duck farmers,” he said. “The new vaccines will help prevent massive losses and restore hope among farmers.”

Earlier this week, the seed of the live attenuated vaccine was officially handed over to the Department of Livestock Services (DLS) for field-level distribution. The inactivated vaccine will continue to undergo additional testing and refinement at BAU laboratories.

Launched on March 7, 2023, and initially scheduled to run until March 6, 2026, the project team has requested an extension to further advance the vaccine’s rollout and performance evaluation.

Professor Rahman noted that despite using conventional duck cholera and fowl pox vaccines, mortality rates in duck farms remained alarmingly high—often between 30 to 40 percent, and in severe cases, reaching 100 percent. This underscored the urgent need for a new, targeted vaccine.

Duck plague, a DNA virus transmitted mainly through contaminated water and direct contact, attacks the liver and causes severe mortality among ducks.

“While working in the haor regions, I saw the devastating effects of duck cholera and duck plague firsthand,” Professor Rahman recalled. “Farmers would plead for a vaccine as their ducks died before their eyes. That motivated us to develop this innovation.”

He added, “Previously, our focus was primarily on food security. Now, we’re equally committed to biosecurity. BAU’s contribution to the nation’s agricultural and food security is undeniable, and this research adds another milestone to that legacy.”

Explaining the research process, Professor Rahman said the team collected dead ducks from various regions and confirmed through laboratory analysis that most deaths were caused by duck plague. The virus was isolated and propagated in duck egg embryos, leading to the development of the inactivated vaccine.

In experimental trials, the inactivated vaccine demonstrated 88 percent protection, whereas 93 percent of unvaccinated ducks died during challenge tests. Researchers found that while the inactivated version provides short-term protection, the live attenuated vaccine offers longer-lasting immunity, making it more sustainable for commercial-scale application.

This groundbreaking achievement underscores BAU’s leading role in advancing agricultural and veterinary science in Bangladesh—offering renewed hope to thousands of duck farmers whose livelihoods depend on the health and resilience of the country’s duck population.