Molecular and serologic characterization, pathogenicity, and protection studies with infectious bronchitis virus field isolates from California

In this study, we characterized three variant infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) strains isolated in 2003 and 2004 from broiler chickens in California and compared them to previously isolated California variant viruses and to common vaccine serotypes used in the United States. We conducted genetic, serologic, and pathogenicity studies on all three isolates, then tested different vaccines against one of the viruses. Genetically the three variant IBV strains, designated CA557/03, CA706/03, and CA1737/04, were not related to each other. GenBank BLAST database search and phylogenetic analysis of the hypervariable region of the S1 subunit of the spike gene to determine the most closely related viruses to the three variants showed the CA557/03 variant to be 81.8% similar to the CAV/CA56b/91 whereas the CA706/03 and CA1737/04 variant viruses were only distantly related to Dutch/D1466/81 (72.2%), a vaccine strain used in Europe, and Korea/K142/02 (72.7%), a Korean field isolate, respectively. Cross virus-neutralization testing showed that none of the 2003-04 California IBV variant viruses were serologically related to each other or to Ark, Conn, or Mass vaccine strains. In addition the CA1737/04 isolate was also tested against DE072 and found not to be serologically related. All three variant viruses were pathogenic in 1-wk-old broilers and vaccination with Mass/Conn followed by Holland/Conn provided 80% protection against the CA1737/04 virus. The 2003-04 California variant viruses were not compared with variants isolated in California during 1970s and 1980s because, to our knowledge, no genetic information is available and those viruses are no longer obtainable. This study shows that the CA557/03 virus was distantly related to the CAV-type viruses isolated in California in the early 1990s, but that none of the 2003-04 viruses were similar genetically or serologically to the CAL99-type viruses, indicating that new IBV variants continue to emerge and cause disease in commercial chickens in California.     

Molecular epidemiology of infectious bronchitis virus isolates from China and Southeast Asia

In order to trace the origin and evolution of avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) isolates in China and Southeast Asia, genomic sequencing was used for molecular characterization of 24 IBV isolates and two reference strains in comparison with the published sequences. The 5' region of the S1 genes, containing hypervariable regions I and II, and 3' region of the nucleocapsid genes, containing cytotoxic T lymphocyte epitopes, were used to construct phylogenetic trees for analysis. The results showed that the 24 isolates could be divided into three distinct groups, that is, American, Asian, and European. Some isolates formed a distinct Asian phylogenetic group, suggesting that IBV has existed for some time in Asia. Our results also showed that in vivo recombination of IBV may have occurred at a rather high frequency, contributing to the diversity of these IBV isolates. Importantly, recombination events have probably occurred between vaccine strains and field strains in the natural condition.     

1株鸡传染性支气管炎病毒变异株的分子特征和抗原性分析

从山东省发病商品鸡群分离鉴定了1株鸡传染性支气管炎病毒,命名为CK/CH/SD09/005.S1基因序列分析发现,该株和同期分离的16个IBV流行株与疫苗株H120和491同源性分别为65.2％和66.0％.BLAST发现,CK/CH/SD09/005株仅与GenBank中3个广东分离株同源性较高(98.6％～98.8％),并形成独立的进化群.分别以H120和491为参考株,除了广泛的点突变,CK/CH/SD09/005 S1基因在多个位点发生了插入和缺失,CK/CH/SD09/005 N基因仅发生了点突变,没有基因插入和缺失;M基因除了发生点突变之外,分别在16～18和7～18位发生了碱基插入.鸡胚中和试验结果显示,CK/CH/SD09/005与H120和491均有交叉中和性,抗原相关性分别为0.18和0.09,应属于Mass和793/B之外新的血清型.结果表明,IBV S1基因可同时通过点突变、插入和缺失产生变异株,增加了免疫预防的难度.     

Molecular and phenotypic characterization of infectious bursal disease virus isolates

Two infectious bursal disease viruses (IBDVs 1174 and V1) were isolated from IBDV-vaccinated broiler flocks in California and Georgia. These flocks had a history of subclinical immunosuppression. These isolates are commonly used in IBDV progeny challenge studies at Auburn, AL, as well as vaccine manufacturer's vaccine efficacy studies, because they come from populated poultry-producing states, and are requested by poultry veterinarians from those states. Nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) generated viral genome products for sequencing. A 491-bp segment from the VP2 gene, covering the hypervariable region, from each isolate was analyzed and compared with previously sequenced isolates. Sequence analysis showed that they were more closely related to the Delaware (Del) E antigenic variant than they are to the Animal Health Plant Inspection Service (APHIS) standard, both at the nucleotide level (96%, 97%) and at the amino acid level (94%, 97%). Both isolates had the glutamine to lysine shift in amino acid 249 which has been reported to be critical in binding the virus neutralizing Mab B69. Phenotypic studies showed that both isolates produced rapid atrophy of the bursae and weight loss, without the edematous bursal phase, in 2-wk-old commercial broilers having antibody against IBDV. A progeny challenge study showed both isolates produced more atrophy of the bursae (less percentage of protection) than the Del E isolate. Molecular and phenotypic data of these important IBDV isolates help in the improved detection and control of this continually changing and important viral pathogen of chickens.     

鸡传染性支气管炎病毒广西分离株血清型的分析

应用病毒感染的鸡胚材料免疫新西兰兔的方法制备抗鸡传染性支气管炎病毒(IBV)单因子血清,然后在鸡胚气管环培养(Tracheal organ cultures,TOC)上对广西分离的7个IBV代表性毒株和3个常用疫苗株进行交叉病毒中和试验。结果显示,10个毒株被分为6个血清型。根据试验所得的R值,应用聚类分析法分析了各血清型毒株之间的亲缘关系,显示目前在广西流行的IBV野毒株之间以及其与疫苗株间的抗原性存在很大程度的差异,分属不同的血清型。同时还对IBV基因分型和血清分型之间的关系进行了探讨。     

Serological and molecular characterization of three enteric isolates of infectious bronchitis virus of chickens

Three coronaviruses isolated from the intestines of laying chickens were partially characterized. Serological and molecular assays indicated that the enteric coronaviruses are infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) isolates. Although the three isolates were recovered from three unrelated chicken flocks, their RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotide fingerprints were almost identical. The three isolates were not neutralized by antisera specific to IBV serotype Connecticut, but their RNase T1-resistant oligonucleotide fingerprints closely matched the fingerprints of strain Conn-46, a Connecticut serotype. This and the co-fingerprinting data suggested that the three field isolates may have emerged from the Connecticut virus through mutation(s). The mutation(s) apparently involved the S1 protein gene that determines the virus serotype.     

Vaccine efficacy against Ontario isolates of infectious bronchitis virus

Infectious bronchitis (IB) is an economically important viral disease with worldwide distribution. Every country with an intensive poultry industry has infectious bronchitis virus (IBV). The virus rapidly spreads from bird to bird through horizontal transmission by aerosol or ingestion. Sentinel bird studies were carried out in southern Ontario and IBV has been isolated from layer flocks. Genetic analysis of the S1 region of the strains showed that they were not vaccine related. The pathogenicity of selected Ontario variants of IBV isolates was studied and the subsequent work was to determine the degree of protection against field isolates provided by a commonly used vaccine MILDVAC-Ma5 in Ontario. The protection was evaluated by challenging immunized chickens with the respiratory (IBV-ON1) and nephropathogenic (IBV-ON4) viruses. The mean vaccine efficacy for IBV-ON1 was 66.7% indicating that a Massachusetts serotype vaccine would provide some protection against IBV field isolates.     

Pathogenicity of infectious bronchitis virus isolates from Ontario chickens

Infectious bronchitis (IB) is one of the important viral diseases of chickens, and in spite of regular vaccination, IB is a continuous problem in Canadian poultry operations. In an earlier study using sentinel chickens we determined the incidence of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) in Ontario commercial layer flocks. The objective of this study was to determine the pathogenicity of 5 nonvaccine-related IBV isolates recovered from the sentinel birds. The clinical signs, gross, and histological lesions in specific pathogen-free chickens indicated that all 5 isolates caused mild lesions in the respiratory tract. An important finding of this study was the significantly lower average daily weight gain among virus-inoculated groups of chickens during the acute phase of infection. Based on sequences of part of the S1 gene IBV-ON2, IBV-ON3, and IBV-ON5 formed a cluster and they were closely related to strain CU-82792. IBV-ON4 had 98.7% identity with the strain PA/1220/9, a nephropathogenic variant.     

Preparing hemagglutinating antigen from isolates of infectious bronchitis virus

The hemagglutinating (HA) activity of 14 strains of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) was investigated. The optimal conditions for IBV antigen preparation include inoculation of 10- or 11-day-old specific pathogen-free embryonated eggs and incubation for 30 hours at 37 C. Embryos were inoculated via the allantoic cavity with 0.1 ml of a low embryonic passage of the virus (10(7) to 10(8) EID50/ml). Allantoic fluid was harvested and pooled, and a 100-fold concentration of virus particles was achieved by centrifugation for 3 hours at 30,000 x g. Virus pellets were resuspended in Tris-hydrochloride buffer containing 3 units of phospholipase-C (type-1) enzyme/ml and incubated for 2 hours at 37 C. All IBV strains tested demonstrated positive HA activity with chicken red blood cells. The antigen was stored in liquid state or lyophilized at 4 C.     

Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies to three infectious bronchitis virus serotypes.

Three panels of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were prepared against the spike (S) proteins of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) strains Arkansas 99, Connecticut 46, and Massachusetts 41. Based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the MAbs were grouped into three categories: 1) group-specific, which reacted with a broad spectrum of homologous and heterologous IBV serotypes; 2) serotype-specific, which reacted only with strains of the homologous serotype; and 3) strain-specific, which reacted "selectively" with only certain strains of homologous and heterologous serotypes. MAbs that displayed serotype specificity were all specific to S1 fractions of the homologous serotype, confirming that epitopes that determine virus serotype are associated with the S1 protein. An excellent correlation was found when the results of IBV serotyping by MAb-based indirect ELISA were compared with those from the conventional virus-neutralization test. This confirms that the MAbs described here will serve as valuable tools in epizootiological studies and serotype-specific diagnosis of IBV infection.     

山东省传染性支气管炎病毒分离株的电镜观察

从山东省分离到4株病毒株，经病理剖检、鸡胚传代，血凝检测、动物回归、电镜和免疫电镜观察确证为传染性支气管炎病毒。将分离毒分别接种SPF鸡胚，制备各自的阳性血情，经磷钨酸负染，电镜和免疫电镜观察。可见到典型的冠状病毒粒子，病毒的直径界于60－200mm之间，呈多形性，有囊膜，个别有纤突。病毒大量聚集，各株病毒在形态上无差异。     

Molecular characterization of avian infectious bronchitis virus strains isolated in Colombia during 2003

Sixteen infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) isolates were recovered from broilers and layers from five geographic poultry regions in Colombia. The viruses were isolated from tracheas, lungs, and cecal tonsils of birds, previously vaccinated with the Massachusetts strain, that were showing respiratory signs. Further analysis of the IBV isolates was achieved by phylogenetic analysis comparing their deduced amino acid sequences in the hypervariable region 1 of the S1 gene with reference strains. Four unique genotype clusters containing isolates with indigenous genotypes were observed. One isolate was found to be the Connecticut genotype and three isolates were found to be the Massachusetts genotype.     

鸡传染性支气管炎病毒分离株核衣壳基因克隆、序列分析和真核表达

根据GenBank公开序列自行设计一对引物，采用RT—PCR扩增出鸡传染性支气管炎病毒（Infectious bronchitis virus，IBV）W和C9001分离株完整的核衣壳（N）基因，并将其克隆至pMD18-T载体进行核苷酸序列测定和分析。结果表明，扩增的2个IBV分离株核衣壳基因片段长度均为1230bp，编码409个氨基酸，彼此间核苷酸和氨基酸同源性分别为88．0％和89．5％，与GenBank中有代表性的参考毒株相应基因核苷酸和氨基酸序列比较显示，w株核苷酸序列与GenBank中的广东分离株（AY646283）同源性最高，为94．1％，氨基酸序列同源性为94．6％；与国内部分毒株核苷酸序列同源性在86．1％～88．0％之间，氨基酸序列同源性在88．0％～90．7％之间；C9001株与国内部分毒株核苷酸序列同源性在86．4％～99．8％之间，氨基酸序列同源性在88．0％～99．8％之间。从核衣壳基因编码的氨基酸序列的系统进化树可见，W株与C9001株处于不同的进化分枝，亲缘关系较远。同时将核衣壳基因构建于真核表达质粒pVAX1中，用脂质体法将重组质粒转染入COS-7细胞中，间接免疫荧光检测出核衣壳蛋白的体外表达。研究结果为进一步研究IBV核衣壳蛋白的结构与功能以及基因工程疫苗的研制奠定了基础。     

Characterization of infectious bronchitis virus isolates by slot blot hybridization

We used slot blot hybridization of the hypervariable regions of the S1 subunit of spike peplomer gene to identify and characterize infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) strains. Template DNA was created from six reference strain IBVs of different serotypes and immobilized on a nitrocellulose membrane. We synthesized digoxigenin-labeled probes from reference and unknown field viruses and hybridized them to template DNA. All reference strains could be distinguished and isolates identified by serotype if they were at least 95% identical to a reference strain. This slot blot hybridization procedure was specific and reproducible, and strain typing was consistent with the S1 sequencing of the IBV genome. This study thus provides a simple and rapid method for typing of IBV.