SearchSearch this site:

Home
Disease
Control
IB Vaccines
Q&A
Publications
About us

Enter your key

X Close
Contact

Contact form
Ask the expert

Print
Print text
Tell a friend
Bookmark

This page

Accessibility

Color
b&w

You have JavaScipt disabled

This may result in reduced functionality and affect the graphical presentation of this site.
However, all content will still be available.

Login
Tools & Preferences

Home
Serotypes & protectotypes
Update on IBV variants in Europe
IB variant Italian 02

Infectious Bronchitis
o Microbiology
Virus classification

IBV phylogenetic tree

Protein structure
o Epidemiology
o Pathogenesis
o Clinical signs
o PM lesions
o Economic consequences
o Diagnosis
Laboratory tests
Genome detection
Serotypes & protectotypes
o Update on IBV in the USA
o Update on IBV variants in Europe
IB variant Italian 02
IB variant D388 (QX)

Esta Pgina en Espaol

Esta Pgina no Portugus

Infectious Bronchitis Virus variants

Available vaccines are able to cross-protect against IBV variant Italian-02 that was isolated in
Italy in the 1990's.

IBV variant Italian-02

In the late 1990's a series of IBV strains isolated in Italy were studied closely. The sequence
analysis of one of these, designated Italian-02, was published in 2002 (NCBI-BLAST, number
AJ457137). Then, in a study carried out in 2004 using the RT-PCR technique, (Worthington KC
et al, 2004) it was found that this Italian-02 strain, is widespread in Europe and that, apart from
IBV variant strain 4/91 it has become one of the most predominant genotypes in the UK, Spain,
France and The Netherlands. Nevertheless, the importance of Italian-02 as a major pathogen
for poultry is still questionable. This is because the studies so far performed have simply detected
the virus genome, very few virus isolates have been obtained and so it has not been proved that
this IBV strain is pathogenic in chickens in the field.

Protection against Italian-02

Several experiments were carried out in order to investigate the efficacy of different vaccination
programs against a challenge with Italian-02. The following experiment was carried out by Dr.
Giovanni Tosi, from the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dellEmilia
Romagna in Forl, Italy.

Design

150 SPF chickens of 1 day of age, divided in 5 groups (30 birds/group) in isolators.
Vaccination with Nobilis Ma5 and Nobilis 4/91 by the oculo-nasal route (see table
below for vaccination scheme).
Challenge with Italian-02 by the oculo-nasal route (107.5EID50/ml) at 36 or 56 days of
age.
Protection was assessed by means of the ciliostasis test and virus detection by PCR and
reisolation.

Results
Vaccination and testing scheme for the different groups
Age
in
days
0
Ma5
14 4/91 serologya
28 serology
36 IT-02 challenge
40 ciliostasis test*
43 ciliostasis test
56 60 62

Groups and treatments

Ma5+4/91
serology
serology
IT-02 challenge
ciliostasis test
ciliostasis test
-

Ma5
4/91 serology
serology
serology
serology
serology
serology
IT-02 challenge ciliostasis test
ciliostasis test
IT-02 challenge ciliostasis test
ciliostasis test
serology virology serology virology
serology virology serology virology
serology virology

a = data not shown

* Protected < 50%
Unprotected > 50%
Results of the ciliostasis test: Protection Index (%)
Protection index Protection index
Group Vaccination schedule
IT-02 challenge
(40 days)
(43 days)
Ma5 at 1 day
A
36 days
92.35
90.82
4/91 at 14 days
B
Ma5+4/91 at 1 day
36 days
90.82
87.76
Ma5 at 1 day
95.41
91.74
C
56 days
4/91 at 14 days
(60 days)
(62 days)
Average score of the vaccinated group
Protection Index =
x 100
Average score of the infected group
Results of the virus detection
Group
Vaccination schedule
IT-02 challenge
43 days
62 days
A
Ma5 at 1 day
36 days
Reisolation+
Reisolation

4/91 at 14 days

PCR = IT-02
Reisolation+
PCR = IT-02

Ma5+4/91 at 1 day

36 days

Reisolation

Ma5 at 1 day
4/91 at 14 days

56 days

Not done

Reisolation+
PCR= IT-02

None

36 days

Reisolation+
PCR= IT-02

Reisolation

Conclusion:

All vaccination programs induced a good level of protection against challenge with
Italian-02 as shown by the ciliostasis test results and the absence of clinical signs in the
vaccinated birds in spite of the virus reisolation (or recognition by PCR) in all groups
after challenge.
This experiment reinforces the importance of the concept of protectotypes.

References

Worthington, K. J., Currie, R. J. W. & Jones, R.C. (2008).

A reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction survey of infectious bronchitis virus
genotypes in Western Europe from 2002 to 2006.
Avian Pathology, 37, 247-257.
Read abstract and full article
Proceedings of the IV.International Symposium on Avian Corona- and Pneumovirus
Infections
Rauischolzhausen, Germany, 20-23 June, 2004

Top of page

Protectotypes
Read why IBV serotypes can cross protect against variant serotypes

Search
Site Map
Disclaimer
Privacy
Login