Genetic and pathogenic characterization of new infectious bronchitis virus strains in the GVI-1 and GI-19 lineages isolated in central China

Avian infectious bronchitis(IB)is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by infectious bronchitis virus(IBV),which is prevalent in many countries worldwide and causes serious harm to the poultry industry.At present,many commercial IBV vaccines have been used for the prevention and control of IB;however,IB outbreaks occur frequently.In this study,two new strains of IBV,SX/2106 and SX/2204,were isolated from two flocks which were immunized with IBV H120 vaccine in central China.Phylogenetic and recombination analysis indicated that SX/2106,which was clustered into the GI-19 lineage,may be derived from recombination events of the GI-19 and GI-7 strains and the LDT3-A vaccine.Genetic analysis showed that SX/2204 belongs to the GVI-1 lineage,which may have originated from the recombination of the GI-13 and GVI-1 strains and the H120 vaccine.The virus cross-neutralization test showed that the antigenicity of SX/2106 and SX/2204 was different from H120.Animal experiments found that both SX/2106 and SX/2204 could replicate effectively in the lungs and kidneys of chickens and cause disease and death,and H120 immunization could not provide effective protection against the two IBV isolates.It is noteworthy that the pathogenicity of SX/2204 has significantly increased compared to the GVI-1 strains isolated previously,with a mortality rate up to 60%.Considering the continuous mutation and recombination of the IBV genome to produce new variant strains,it is important to continuously monitor epidemic strains and develop new vaccines for the prevention and control of IBV epidemics.

Protection against Infectious Bronchitis Virus, a Corona Virus Infection, Using Ostrich Antibodies

In chickens, infectious bronchitis (IB) is a major respiratory disease. The respiratory system is the primary multiplication site of IB virus (IBV), a coronavirus, after which the virus is distributed to other organs. Poultry farms sustain considerable economic damage due to IB outbreaks in flocks, since IB causes a severe reduction in weight gain in chicks. In the present study, we produced the ostrich IgY against IBV by immunizing female ostriches with the IB viral antigens. The resultant purified IgY showed a strong neutralizing activity against IBV infection of cultured primary chick kidney cells. The infectivity of IBV was markedly inhibited in the trachea of chicks when ostrich IgY was injected intra-muscularly into newly hatched chicks prior to viral inhalation challenge at two weeks of age. Furthermore, the infection was strongly blocked in the tracheae when IgY was injected into chicks at one day and one week of age, with viral inhalation performed at three weeks of age. These findings suggest that the injection of ostrich IgY can help protect young chicks from IBV infections. In south Asian and African countries, broiler chicks are sent to poultry market around 30 days of age, so it is important to prevent IB outbreaks in very young flocks. We strongly believe that ostrich IgY will be a powerful weapon against IB infection in poultry farms on a wide scale and also hope that these findings will aid in the development of antibody vaccines for new type corona viruses, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV.

Evolutionary implications of Avian Infectious Bronchitis Virus(AIBV)analysis

For developing efficient vaccines, it is essential to identify which amino acid changes are most important to the survival of the virus. We investigate the amino acid substitution features in the Avian Infectious Bronchitis Virus （AIBV） antigenic domain of a vaccine serotype （DE072） and a virulent viral strain （GA98） to better understand adaptive evolution of AIBV. In addition, the SARS Coronavirus （SARS-CoV） was also analyzed in the same way. It is interesting to find that extreme comparability exists between AIBV and SARS in amino acid substitution pattern. It suggests that amino acid changes that result in overall shift of residue charge and polarity should be paid special attention to during the development of vaccines.

Correlation between Hemagglutination Inhibition Titer and Protection against Infectious Bronchitis Virus Challenge in SPF Layers

[ Objective] To study the correlation between HI titer and protection against IBV challenge in SPF layers. [ Method ] SPF layers were randomly divided into four groups, namely group A1, A2, B1 and B2. The group A1 was immunized with H120 live vaccine. The group A2 was first immunized with H120 live vaccine and later boosted with ND-IB-EDS trivalent inactivated vaccine. The group B1 was used as unimmunized chal- lenge control. The group B2 was kept as unimmunized unchallenged control. The blood samples were taken prior and post-vaccination at intervals and HI tests were conducted. At the laying peak, the group A1, A2 and B1 were challenged with IBV M4t virulent strain. The clinical features and egg production of layers were monitored and recorded. [Result] After 30 d post vaccination with H120 live vaccine, the HI titer reached 4.45 log2; after 30 days boosting with ND-IB-EDS trivalent inactivated vaccine, the HI titer reached to 7.35 log2. Before challenge, HI antibody titer in group A1, A2, B1 and B2 were respectively 4.24 log2, 7.40 Iog2, 2.10 log2 and 2.10 log2. After challenge, chickens in unimmunized challenge control group B1 showed respiratory symptoms, egg production dropped by 30.9%, and they produced more soft-shelled, no-shelled or abnormal eggs. In the group A1, some chickens had light respiratory symptoms and egg production dropped by 11.7%. In the group A2, the egg production of all chickens was as normal as the group B2. [ Conclusion] When the HI titer was over 6 log2, challenge by virulent virus had no impact on egg produc- tion; when the HI titer was 5 log2, 4 log2 and less 3 log2, egg production dropped by 6.0%, 11.3% and 29.6%, respectively. Thus, the HI anti- body level in chickens has close correlation with protection against IBV challenge.

Genotyping and pathotyping of diversified strains of infectious bronchitis viruses circulating in Egypt

AIM: To characterize the circulating infectious bronchitis virus(IBV) strains in Egypt depending on the sequence of the spike-1(S1) gene [hypervariable region-3(HVR-3)] and to study the pathotypic features of these strains.METHODS: In this work, twenty flocks were sampled for IBV detection using RRT-PCR and isolation of IBV in specific pathogen free(SPF) chicks during the period from 2010 to 2015. Partial sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of 400 bp representing the HVR-3 of the S1 gene was conducted. Pathotypic characterization of one selected virus from each group(Egy/Var-Ⅰ, Egy/Var-Ⅱ and classic) was evaluated in one day old SPF chicks. The chicks were divided into 4 groups 10 birds each including the negative control group. Birds were inoculated at one day by intranasal instillation of 105EID50/100 μL of IBV viruses [IBV-EG/1212B-2012(Egy/Var-Ⅱ), IBV/EG/IBV1-2011(Egy/Var-Ⅰ) and IBV-EG/11539F-2011(classic)], while the remaining negative control group was kept uninfected. The birds were observed for clinical signs, gross lesions and virus pathogenicity. The real-time rR TPCR test was performed for virus detection in the tissues. Histopathological examinations were evaluated in both trachea and kidneys.RESULTS: The results revealed that these viruses were separated into two distinct groups; variant(GI-23) and classic(GI-1), where 16 viruses belonged to a variant group, including 2 subdivisions [Egy/Var-Ⅰ(6 isolates) and Egy/Var-Ⅱ(10 isolates)] and 4 viruses clustered to the classic group(Mass-like). IBV isolates in the variant group were grouped with other IBV strains from the Middle East. The variant subgroup(Egy/Var-Ⅰ) was likely resembling the original Egyptian variant strain(Egypt/Beni-Suif/01) and the Israeli strain(IS/1494/2006). The second subgroup(Egy/Var-Ⅱ) included the viruses circulating in the Middle East(Ck/EG/BSU-2 and Ck/EG/BSU-3/2011) and the Israeli strain(IS/885/00). The two variant subgroups(Egy/Var-Ⅰ and Egy/Var-Ⅱ) found to be highly pathogenic to SPF chicks with mortalities up to 50% than those of the classic group which was of low virulence(10% mortality). Pathogenicity indices were 25(Egy/Var-Ⅱ), 24(Egy/Var-Ⅰ) and 8(classic); with clinical scores 3, 2 and 1 respectively.CONCLUSION: These findings indicated that the recent circulating Egyptian IBVs have multiple heterogeneous origins in marked diversifying nature of their spread, with high pathotype in specific pathogen free chicks.

Cloning and Sequencing of S Gene of Novel Variant of Infectious Bronchitis Virus ZJ971 Isolates in China

A novel proventriculopathogic variant (isolate ZJ971) of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) was identified from enlarged proeventriculus of the sick chickens in the study. The S gene cDNA segment with 3.6 kb in length was amplified by RT-PCR with special primers from the ZJ971 viral isolate of (IBV) and cloned into plasmid pBluescript SK( + ). The recombinants containing S gene of IBV-ZJ971 isolate were identified by digestion of restriction enzyme EcoRI, BamHI and PCR amplification. The cloned S gene from isolate IBV-7J971 was composed of 3492 bp in length encoding for a polypeptide of 1080 amino acids. Comparing the nucleotide of S gene of IBV isolate ZJ971 with that of reported IBV strains Beaudette, M41, Ark99 and CuT2, the homology was 97.3%, 97.5%, 88.6% and 85.6%, respectively; and the homology of the deduced amino acids of S protein of IBV isolate ZJ971 was 96%, 96.3%, 86.1% and 83.1% respectively; especially, the mutation of 3241st nucleotide of S gene of IBV isolate ZJ971 from G to T resulted in the translating termination of S protein at 3240th nucleotide site.

A duplex RT-PCR assay for detection of H9 subtype avian influenza viruses and infectious bronchitis viruses

H9 s ubtype avian influenza virus（AIV） and infectious bronchitis virus（IBV） are major pathogens circulating in poultry and have resulted in great economic losses due to respiratory disease and reduced egg production. As similar symptoms are elicited by the two pathogens, it is difficult for their differential diagnosis. So far, no reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction（RT-PCR） assay has been found to differentiate between H9 AIV and IBV in one reaction. Therefore, developing a sensitive and specific method is of importance to simultaneously detect and differentiate H9 AIV and IBV. In this study, a duplex RT-PCR（d RT-PCR） was established. Two primer sets target the hemagglutinin（HA） gene of H9 AIV and the nucleocapsid（N） gene of IBV, respectively. Spec ific PCR products were obtained from all tested H9 AIVs and IBVs belonging to the major clades circulating in China, but not from AIVs of other subtypes or other infectious avian viruses. The sensitivity of the d RT-PCR assay corresponding to H9 AIV, IBV and mixture of H9 AIV and IBV were at a concentration of 1×10^1, 1.5×10^1 and 1.5×10^1 50% egg infective doses（EID_（50）） m L^–1, respectively. The concordance rates between the d RT-PCR and virus isolation were 99.1 and 98.2%, respectively, for detection of samples from H9N2 AIV or IBV infected chickens, while the concordance rate was 99.1% for detection of samples from H9N2 AIV and IBV co-infected chickens. Thus, the d RT-PCR assay reported herein is specific and sensitive, and suitable for the differential diagnosis of clinical infections and survei llance of H9 AIVs and IBVs.

Effects of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine on Immune Organ Indexes and Macrophages Phagocytic Indexes in Chickens Infected by Infectious Bronchitis Virus

[ Objective] To study the therapeutic effects of traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions on infectious bronchitis （IB） and find a novel avenue for prevention and treatment of viral diseases in poultry. [Method] A total of 160 cockerels at the age of 15 d were divided into four groups randomly, including traditional Chinese medicine group, moroxydine control group, challenge control group and healthy control group. Except the healthy control group, other groups were challenged with infectious bronchitis virus （IBV） on Day 15. After 48 h post challenge, the traditional Chinese medicine groupand moroxydine control group were respectively administrated with Chinese herbal medicine prescription and moroxydine, continuously for 5 d. The immune organ indexes and macrephage phagocytic indexes were detected on Day 18, 24 and 30, respectively. [ Result] The immune organ indexes and macrophage phagocytic indexes were not significantly different between traditional Chinese medicine group and moroxydine control group on Day 18. But all the indexes of the traditional Chinese medicine groups were increased significantly （ P 〈 0.05） on Day 24 and 30, and showed extremely significant difference （ P 〈 0.01 ） with those of challenge control group on Day 30. [ Conclusion] The traditional Chinese herbal medicine can enhance macrophage phagocytic indexes and immune organs indexes of chickens infected by IBV.

黄芩苷体外抗IBV QX株的作用研究

为研究黄芩苷体外抗禽传染性支气管炎病毒(Avian infectious bronchitis virus,IBV)QX株的效果,试验对IBV进行复壮与扩繁,制备原代鸡胚肾(CEK)细胞,并测定IBV对CEK细胞的TCID50和黄芩苷对CEK细胞的最大无毒浓度(MNTC);在MNTC基础上采用CCK法测定不同浓度黄芩苷对IBV的有效抑制率,观察不同浓度黄芩苷对IBV导致的CEK细胞的细胞病变效应(CPE)的抑制情况,并采用qPCR法测定不同浓度黄芩苷对IBV N基因相对表达量的影响。结果表明:成功复壮并扩繁了IBV,其未被其他病毒污染,对CEK细胞的TCID50为1×10^(-4.75)/0.1 mL;黄芩苷对CEK细胞的MNTC为9.75 mg/L;该浓度黄芩苷对IBV的有效抑制率最高,为64.03%,能有效减轻IBV对CEK细胞的CPE;各浓度黄芩苷均可以极显著降低CEK细胞中IBV N基因相对表达量(P<0.01)。说明黄芩苷对CEK细胞的MNTC为9.75 mg/L,该浓度黄芩苷具有较好的体外抗IBV QX株的作用。

Molecular Characteristics of S1 Gene of Infectious Bronchitis Virus Isolated from Chicken Proventriculus

Infectious bronchitis virus was isolated from swollen proventriculi of clinically ill chicken. The suspected virus samples (2/97, 3/97, 1/98) were adapted in SPF chicken embryos for virus isolation and identification. All the virus isolates were able to agglutinate chicken erythrocytes after treatment with trypsin, and interfer with the reproduction of Newcastle disease virus in chicken embryos, and have low antigenic relat-edness values with reference positive IBV. The isolates 2/97, 3/97, 1/98 RNAs extracted from the allantoic fluid of inoculated embryonated eggs were converted to cDNA by reverse transcription with 3'-primer of S1 gene of (IBV). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed with two primers which span the S1 gene. Amplified product of 1. 93 kb was subjected to EcoR I and BamH I digestion and the fragments obtained were the same as expected size. The PCR product was ligated to pBlueScript-SK ( + ) vector, and its nucleotide sequence was determined by the dideoxy-mediated chain termination method. Nucleotide sequence analysis showed 73. 6 - 99. 7% homology between the isolated IBV and the IBV strains in GenBank. The homology of amino acid was 71. 4 - 99.4%.

Isolation and Identification of Avian Infectious Bronchitis Virus

[ Objective] The aim was to isolate and identify avian infectious bronchitis virus （IBV） from diseased chickens. [ Method] IBVs were iso- lated from the diseased chickens in a chicken farm in Anhui Province with blind passage method to observe virus pathogenicity. Then animal regres- sion test was made to replicate symptoms of bronchial congestion in SPF chickens and S1 gene segments were amplified and isolated, followed by comparison with IBV vaccine strains. [ Result] Detection of Hemagglutinating activity （HA） showed that allantoic fluid had no concerning effect on erythrocyte, suggesting that NDV and AIV were not included in the isolated viruses. However, the erythrocyte could be agglutinated with allantoic fluid treated with 1% of pancreatin, which is in consistent with biological characters of IBV. After SPF chickens were inoculated with the 6^th SPF al- lantoic fluid, bronchial congestion was replicated, proving that the isolated virus was avian IBV, named IBV XZ strain. [ Conclusion] This study pro- vides a theoretical basis for prevention of avian infectious bronchitis.

E Protein Prokaryotic Expression of Avian Infectious Bronchitis Virus

The small envelope protein （E） gene of avian infectious bronchitis virus （IBV） M41 strain was cloned, and then it was subcloned into prokaryotic expressing vector pGEX-6P-1. The recombinant plasmid was transformed into E.coli. BL21 and induced by IPTG. SDS-PAGE result showed that when objective protein fused with GST （about 20 ku）, the relative molecular mass of fusion protein was 38 ku. It indicated that objective protein was about 12.4 ku. The result showed that E protein was expressed successfully, it was useful to the subsequent E protein research.

Preparation and Examination of Inactivated Emulsion Vaccine against Newcastle Disease, Infectious Bronchitis and H9 Subtype Avian Influenza

[ Objective] To prepare inactivated emulsion vaccine against Newcastle disease, infectious bronchitis and H9 subtype avian influenza. [ Method] Antigen fluid of Newcastle disease virus （NDV） La Sota strain, infectious bronchitis virus （IBV） M41 strain and HgN2 subtype avian in- fluenza virus （AIV） WD strain was prepared by propagation in chicken embryos, respectively. The antigen fluid was concentrated with FILTRON Cassette ultra-filtration system and inactivated by formalin. The antigen fluid of NDV, IBV and AIV was mixed at a volume ratio of 1：1：1. Then the mixture was emulsified by Span-80 and Tween-80 and added medical white oil as adjuvant. The sterility and physical characteristics of the prepared ND-IB-AI combined vaccine were detected. [ Result] The three batches of ND-IB-AI combined vaccine were germ-free, milky white, with water-in- oil pattern and with viscosity of 6.3 -6.8 s. The water and oil were not separated after rest at 37 ~C for 21 d or centrifugation. [ Conclusion] The three batches of ND-IB-AI combined vaccine were germ-free and reached the standard for physical characteristics of vaccines.

The Establishment of Fluorescent PCR Detection Method for Avian Infectious Bronchitis Virus

[ Objective] The aim was to to establish a kind of peculiar, sensitive and quick fluorescent PCR detection method. [Method] A peculiar, sensitive and quick method of fluorescent PCR detection for avian infectious bronchitis virus was established, the standard curve was built, specific primers, susceptibility and repeatability was detected. [ Result] This method diagnosed avian infectious bronchitis virus peculiarly, sensitively and quickly, simple and easy to use, time short, suitable for clinical testing. [ Conclusion] This research laid the foundation to diagnose avian infectious bronchitis virus.

Isolation and Identification of Avian Nephropathogenic Infectious Bronchitis Virus

In November 2009, a respiratory disease with rapid transmission, rapid onset and mortality of about 8% appeared many times in a large chicken farm in Jiangsu Province of China. Necropsy revealed tracheal bleeding, kidney enlargement and white-spotted kidney. An isolate from the farm was identified as an avian infectious bronchitis virus （IBV） by chicken embryo inoculation, hemagglutination assay, virus interference assay, animal regression and tracheal rings culture. The complete ,S1 gene was amplified by RT-PCR, and its homology to that of the vaccine strains com- monly used in China was analyzed with DNAStar software. Therefore, the IBV isolate was initially classified into nephropathogenic IBV and named IBV JS09 strain.

Prokaryotic Expression of Infectious Bronchitis Virus S1 Gene and Analysis of Biological Activity of Recombinant Protein

[Objective] To study the prokaryotic expression and antigenicity identification of S1 gene from avian infectious bronchitis virus （IBV）. [Method] The S1 gene was cloned into a pMD18-T vector to yield a recombinant plasmids pMD18-T-IBV-S1. Then S1 gene was inserted into the multiple cloning site of a prokaryotic expression vector pET-32a （ ＋ ）. The recombinant plasmid was transformed into E. coil BL21. The recombinant protein was induced by IPTG and measured by SDS-PAGE and western-blotting. [Result] The S1 gene was successfully expressed in E. coil BL21, the fusion proteins were about 66.0 kDa in a form of inclusion body. Western-blotting test showed that the recombinant proteins could be identified by IBV polyclonal antibody. [ Conclusion] The recombinant proteins of S1 gene have the antigenicity, which lays a good foundation for further research on new generation vaccine of IBV.

Development of a Microplate Lectin-Capture RT-PCR (MLC-RT-PCR) for the Detection of Avian Infectious Bronchitis Virus

Rapid, sensitive and specific methods are necessary to confirm the diagnosis of outbreaks of avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) infection. The amplification of IBV genome by reverse transcription followed by polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has been one of the most used methods for the detection of this virus in clinical samples. To reduce the time and the number of steps in the molecular diagnosis of IBV, we developed a sensitive and rapid detection method based on viral capture by a lectin (Concanavalin A—Con A) in the microplate wells, followed by RT-PCR to amplify the S1 gene. The detection limit of IBV was 103 EID50/ml for the amplification of 5’part of the S1 gene, and 104 EID50/ml for the amplification of full S1 gene. This technique was specific for IBV detection, and no amplified products were detected for other avian viral pathogens (bursal infectious disease virus, avian metapneumovirus and Newcastle disease virus). The MLC-RT-PCR was as sensitive as conventional RT-PCR, and virus isolation method for the detection of IBV in tissue samples collected from experimentally infected birds. The MLC-RT-PCR technique demonstrated a great potential for the rapid and specific diagnosis of IBV.

传染性支气管炎病毒(IBV)国内分离毒株的分子流行病学分析

选择9个来自我国不同地区的传染性支气管炎病毒(IBV)地方毒株,用逆转录-聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)分别扩增出它们的完整S1基因,再将各扩增产物与T载体连接转化,筛选出相应毒株的阳性克隆,采用双脱氧链终止法测定基因序列。将这些国内分离毒株、我国常用疫苗毒株和国际上其他血清型的代表参考毒株一起,用DNAstar软件分别进行基因与氨基酸系统发生进化关系分析,结果将这些毒株分成3群:Ⅰ群内的毒株与疫苗毒株H120和M41的同源性很高,Ⅱ群内的毒株与其他毒株的同源性较低,Ⅲ群内的毒株与疫苗毒株有一定的同源性。3个群的毒株以疫苗毒株H120为核心,形成进化距离的梯度,提示弱毒疫苗的使用可能是我国IBV流行毒株的主要来源之一。分析结果还显示,我国IBV的分离毒株没有明显的时间和地理分布规律可循。

用单抗介导的交叉ELISA对IBV毒株的分型研究

用针对IBV 3种结构蛋白的一组单抗 (C1、C2 、C3、J1、J2 、J3)和 6个不同血清型的IBV标准株 (Gray株、Connectic株、Holte株、T株、M4 1株、Arkavas株 )进行交叉ELISA试验 ,显示了 6种不同的反应模式 ;与同一Mass血清型内M4 1、H52 、H12 0 3毒株进行交叉ELISA反应显示出相同的反应模式 ;通过地方分离株和标准株与 6株单抗的ELISA反应模式比较可将来自河南、山东、江苏、广东、广西、西川等省 2 2个地方株划分为 7个不同的抗原群 ,其中M4 1抗原群占 10株 ,其仍是我国当前主要的流行型。根据两株中和单抗C2 、J1与 2 2个地方株ELISA反应结果 ,可将地方株分为三大类群 ,即与J1反应的M4 1类群 ,与C2 反应的Y类群和J1、C2 均不反应的第三类群 ,C2 和J1两株中和单抗可与 85 %以上毒株发生反应 ,可为IBV制苗毒株的选择 (M4 1和Y)提供参考依据 ,此种分型方法较传统的分型方法简便、快速。

腺胃病变型鸡传染性支气管炎病毒分离株(IBV-D971)对SPF鸡的致病力试验

用腺胃病变型鸡传染性支气管炎病毒分离株 Ｉ Ｂ Ｖ Ｄ９７１ 毒株接种１ 日龄 Ｓ Ｐ Ｆ 鸡， 可引起６０ ％ 死亡。该毒在 Ｓ Ｐ Ｆ 鸡体传２ 代后， 接种１ 日龄 Ｓ Ｐ Ｆ 鸡， 可引起１００ ％ 死亡。对人工感染病例进行了系统的病理学观察， 主要的眼观病理变化为腺胃胃壁增厚、乳头消失或乳头扁平， 乳头顶部凹陷坏死， 肾肿大、尿酸盐沉积。主要的组织学变化为腺胃粘膜上皮坏死脱落、固有层水肿、有炎性细胞浸润、肌层有淋巴细胞浸润、肌细胞坏死、腺小叶腺细胞坏死、核浓缩。小肠粘膜绒毛上皮增生、呈复层结构、固有层水肿、有大量淋巴细胞浸润。肾间质水肿、细尿管和肾小球间质内有淋巴细胞浸润。肝、心等实质细胞变性， 以至局灶性坏死。脾、胸腺及法氏囊的淋巴组织萎缩等， 人工感染鸡病例和自然发病鸡的病理变化基本相同。