Antigenic and sequence heterogeneity of infectious bursal disease virus strains isolated in Australia.

Abstract

Six recently isolated field strains of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) were compared to vaccine strains at the antigenic and genetic level to ascertain the level of heterogeneity among Australian IBDV strains. Five strains, 01/94, 02/95, 03/95, 04/95 and 08/95, isolated at four locations in the state of Victoria, were antigenic variants. They failed to react with monoclonal antibodies directed against two different epitopes on the VP2 protein which were present in vaccine strains and one field isolate (06/95) from the state of New South Wales. Serum neutralization tests confirmed that these strains were antigenic variants as they were of a different subtype to that of vaccine strains...