A serological survey for detection of avian infectious bronchitis virus antibodies in domestic village chickens in Esfahan, central Iran

Abstract

Infectious bronchitis (IB) is a very contagious disease caused by a coronavirus (IBV). In chickens, thevirus affects the respiratory, reproductive, and urinary systems. This study was carried out to determine theseroprevalence of anti-IBV antibodies in domestic village chickens. Serum samples of 300 domestic villagechickens from Esfahan (centeral Iran) were collected and examined for the presence of anti-IBV antibodiesby commercial ELISA kits. The results showed that 85.3% of the domestic village chickens had high titers ofanti-IBV antibody without any clinical signs. It was concluded that the rate of IBV infection in thesechickens is very high that could be a potential hazard for commercial poultry.