Detection and quantification of antibodies to infectious bronchitis virus by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detecting and quantifying antibodies to infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is described. Purified antigen, prepared on sucrose density gradients, was required to decrease the nonspecific background, and saline was found to be superior to bicarbonate buffer for coating the cuvettes with antigen. The sensitivity of the test in measuring antiserum titers could be altered greatly and linearly by adjusting the protein content of the antigen. The ELISA was able to detect an antibody response to IBV infection earlier than the virus-neutralization (VN) test. Antibody titers obtained by ELISA were considerably higher than those obtained by VN. Serotypes of IBV could not be differentiated with ELISA because of extensive antiserum cross-reactivity. The utility of ELISA in studies on IBV is discussed.