Non‐specific reactivity of sera in ELISAs for detecting antibodies to bacterial, viral and mycoplasmal pathogens of poultry

Abstract

Enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were developed for the detection of antibodies to Mycoplasma synoviae, infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) Pasteurella multocida, infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), reovirus, egg‐drop syndrome (EDS) and reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV). Purified antigenic preparations derived from the various pathogens were used to coat microtitre plates. A non‐specific factor in some serum samples bound to many of the antigen‐coated plates. Such non‐specific binding was shown to be related to the age of the chicken and to immunization schedules.

Keywords:

• ELISA
• viral antigens
• bacterial antigens
• poultry
• non‐specific binding
• rheumatoid factor