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Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a species of virus from the genus Gammacoronavirus that infects birds.It causes avian infectious bronchitis, a highly infectious disease that affects the respiratory tract, gut, kidney and reproductive system. IBV affects the performance of both meat-producing and egg-producing chickens and is responsible for substantial economic loss within the poultry industry. Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) can cause kidney disease, leading to acute nephritis, urinary tract stones, and death, especially in young poultry. Even if the patient has recovered on the surface, chronic nephritis may still lead to death in the later stages. Currently, there are live attenuated vaccines and inactivated oil emulsion vaccines available for selection. IBV vaccine strains and wild-type strains may persist in the cecal tonsils of clinically normal chickens for several weeks or longer and be excreted with feces. Rapid and accurate diagnosis is crucial for effective disease management, and serological assays utilizing the Infectious Bronchitis Virus Antigen—often the S1 subunit or whole virion preparations—are central for detecting specific antibodies and monitoring flock immunity.
Figure 1. Infectious Bronchitis Coronavirus Infection in Chickens. (M. Najimudeen,et al, 2020).
Avian infectious bronchitis (IB) is caused by the gamma coronavirus genus infectious bronchitis virus (IBV). This virus mainly infects chickens and is an important pathogen for broiler and laying hens. IB is an acute infectious disease characterized by respiratory symptoms in growing chickens. The disease can be transmitted through airborne transmission, direct contact between chickens, and indirect transmission (such as contaminated poultry equipment or egg packaging materials, manure used as fertilizer, farm visits, etc.). IB occurs globally and manifests in various clinical forms, with the most significant being respiratory diseases caused by respiratory tissue infections after inhalation or ingestion of viruses. Infection of the fallopian tubes in young chickens can cause permanent damage, and in hens, it can lead to cessation of egg production or thin, deformed eggshells with loss of eggshell pigmentation.
The pathogenesis of IBV is a complex interplay between viral tropism determined by the S protein and its interactions with specific host cellular pathways. Following inhalation, the virus initially infects the ciliated epithelial cells of the upper respiratory tract. Successful infection and subsequent systemic spread hinge on specific molecular interactions at the cellular level.
| Viral Component / Process | Key Host Target / Gene / Pathway | Mechanism & Role in Pathogenesis |
| Viral Entry | Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) | Serves as a primary functional receptor for many IBV strains. The S1 subunit binds to ACE2, initiating viral attachment and entry. Other cellular factors like sialic acid may act as co-receptors or primary receptors for certain strains. |
| Innate Immune Evasion | Type I Interferon (IFN) Pathway | IBV employs multiple strategies to antagonize the IFN response. The viral accessory proteins (e.g., 3a, 3b) and non-structural proteins (e.g., Nsp3, Nsp15) can inhibit IFN production by blocking sensors like RIG-I/MDA5 or downstream signaling molecules (MAVS, IRF3). It also blocks IFN signaling by degrading STAT1/STAT2 or preventing their nuclear translocation. |
| Inflammation & Cell Death | Inflammasome Activation (NLRP3) | IBV infection can activate the NLRP3 inflammasome, leading to the maturation and secretion of potent pro-inflammatory cytokines like IL-1β and IL-18, driving pyroptosis and inflammation. |
Detect elevated antibody titers through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) or hemagglutination inhibition assay (HI)
Use RT-PCR and sequencing or RT qPCR for virus detection and typing. Due to its symptoms being similar to mild symptoms caused by pathogens such as Newcastle disease virus, avian influenza virus, infectious laryngotracheitis virus, mycoplasma, Haemophilus parahaemolyticus, and nasal tracheal bacillus, the diagnosis of respiratory infectious bronchitis requires laboratory confirmation. When there is a history of respiratory disease or a decrease in egg production, diagnosis can be made by detecting an increase in IBV antibody titers or serum conversion through enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), hemagglutination inhibition test, or virus neutralization test. The diagnosis of infectious bronchitis is usually based on virus detection and identification. IBV can be isolated by inoculating tracheal, cecal tonsil, and/or kidney tissue homogenates into SPF chicken embryos aged 9 to 11 days. The growth of IBV is characterized by delayed embryonic development, curling, and deposition of urate salts in the kidneys, with varying mortality rates.
IBV is in the genus Gammacoronavirus, or group 3,with a non-segmented, positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome. It was previously the type species of its genus Igacovirus. When there was only one genus of coronaviruses, the genus Coronavirus, it was the type species of the group of all known coronaviruses.
| Diagnosis | Details |
| Respiratory System | After inhalation, the virus will attach to glycoprotein receptors containing sialic acid on the ciliated epithelial cells of the respiratory tract. Respiratory replication can lead to loss of ciliary activity, accumulation, necrosis, and peeling of mucus, resulting in respiratory distress, difficulty breathing, and suffocation. Localized viral replication can lead to viremia, spreading the infection to other tissues and organs. Other respiratory diseases of chickens, such as Mycoplasma gallisepticum, avian infectious laryngotracheitis (Gallid alpha herpesvirus 1), Newcastle disease (avian paramyxovirus 1), and avian metapneumovirus infection, may be clinically confused with infectious bronchitis. |
| Kidney | Through viremia, some strains of nephrophilic bacteria (mostly highly virulent) can infect the renal epithelium of renal tubules and nephrons, leading to renal failure. During a gross examination, the kidneys may appear swollen and pale, and there may be urate salts in the ureters. |
| Reproductive System | In hens, virus-infected IBV can also reach the fallopian tubes, causing lesions in most parts (egg white glands) and uterus (eggshell glands), resulting in a sharp decrease in egg production. Shellless, fragile, or rough eggshell eggs (uterine lesions) are accompanied by watery protein (most lesions). Chickens infected during puberty can hinder the formation of fallopian tubes during their development, impair their ability to lay eggs in the future, and lead to "false egg production". However, other diseases that affect laying hens may also lead to this situation. |
Currently, there is no medication that can alter the course of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) infection; However, antibacterial therapy can reduce the mortality rate exacerbated by concurrent bacterial infections. In cold weather, increasing the ambient temperature can also help reduce mortality rates. In addition, reducing the protein concentration in feed and adding electrolytes to drinking water can help control epidemics caused by nephrovirus strains. The live vaccine (attenuated vaccine) used to prevent infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) may cause mild respiratory symptoms. These vaccines were initially inoculated in chicks aged from 1 to 14 days by spray, drinking water or eye drops. Laying hens and breeding hens usually re breed about 2 weeks after the initial inoculation. The use of vaccines with different serotypes for re vaccination can induce broader protection. In breeding chickens and laying hens, additional live vaccines (attenuated or inactivated adjuvant vaccines) can also be used to prevent egg production decline and transmit maternal protective antibodies to offspring.
Reference
| Target | Cat. No. | Product Name | Host | Isotype | Application | |
| IBV | CABT-NS1130 | Rabbit Anti-Infectious Bronchitis Virus Nucleoproteins Monoclonal Antibody, clone C5P1 | Rabbit | IgG | WB, ELISA | Inquiry |
| DMAB-CS24300 | Magic™ Mouse Anti-Infectious Bronchitis Virus Monoclonal antibody, clone QK005A | Mouse | IgG2a | ELISA (Cap) | Inquiry | |
| DMAB-CS24301 | Magic™ Mouse Anti-Infectious Bronchitis Virus Monoclonal antibody, clone QK005B | Mouse | IgG2a | ELISA (Det) | Inquiry | |
| DMAB-CS24417 | Magic™ Mouse Anti-Infectious Bronchitis Virus Monoclonal antibody, clone NY811 | Mouse | IgG | ELISA (Cap), LFIA | Inquiry | |
| DMAB-CS24418 | Magic™ Mouse Anti-Infectious Bronchitis Virus Monoclonal antibody, clone NY812 | Mouse | IgG | ELISA (Det), LFIA | Inquiry |
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