SUMMARYThe immunopathogenesis of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) infection in the chicken is reviewed. While infectious bronchitis (IB) is considered primarily a disease of the respiratory system, different IBV strains may show variable tissue tropisms and also affect the oviduct and the kidneys, with serious consequences. Some strains replicate in the intestine but apparently without pathological changes. Pectoral myopathy has been associated with an important recent variant. Several factors can influence the course of infection with IBV, including the age, breed and nutrition of the chicken, the environment and intercurrent infection with other infectious agents. Immunogenic components of the virus include the S (spike) proteins and the N nucleoprotein. The humoral, local and cellular responses of the chicken to IBV are reviewed, together with genetic resistance of the chicken. In long-term persistence of IBV, the caecal tonsil or kidney have been proposed as the sites of persistence. Antigenic variation among IBV strains is related to relatively small differences in amino acid sequences in the S1 spike protein. However, antigenic studies alone do not adequately define immunological relationships between strains and cross-immunisation studies have been used to classify IBV isolates into 'protectotypes'. It has been speculated that changes in the S1 protein may be related to differences in tissue tropisms shown by different strains. Perhaps in the future, new strains of IBV may arise which affect organs or systems not normally associated with IB.

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Micro-haemagglutination inhibition tests (Micro-HI) were used to measure the level of maternal IgG in the tears of chicks and also to measure the levels of HI antibodies in the tears and serum after vaccination with "F" strain of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and in the face of an outbreak of Newcastle disease. There was a 1.4 fold difference between the maternal IgG concentration in the serum and tears. The ratio of serum IgG to lachrymal IgG after maternal transfer was 4 to 5:1 on day 4 to 9 and decreased to 2.6:1 on day 12 post-hatch. The intra-ocular vaccination of chicks with "F" strain of NDV resulted in the highest titre of HI antibodies in the tears though there was no significant difference in the response of chicks vaccinated through intranasal, oral and intravenous routes. In the face of an ND outbreak, the level of HI antibodies in the tears during the acute phase was very high and persisted at the same level for 14 days.