Immune responses to structural proteins of avian infectious bronchitis virus.

Abstract

Chickens were vaccinated with live and inactivated infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), and antibody responses to the individual structural proteins, S1, S2, M and N, followed by ELISA and western blotting. All four structural proteins elicited an antibody response in chicks vaccinated with either live or inactivated IBV. The S1, S2 and N proteins elicited similar titres of antibodies following vaccination with live IBV, whereas the M glycoprotein elicited significantly lower titres. Time of appearance and the course of development of the S1, S2 and N ELISA antibodies were similar, being first detected 2 weeks after vaccination and coincided with appearance of virus neutralizing antibodies. Th..