Vaccination and revaccination with a Holland (H) strain of infectious bronchitis virus

One-day-old chickens possessing maternally derived immunity to Massachusetts-type infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) were vaccinated by the eyedrop route with a Holland (H) IBV strain of the Massachusetts type. Vaccination was done with the 72nd and 92nd passages in chicken embryos. Attenuation of the virus was done in the authors' laboratory. Four weeks postvaccination the immunity was challenged with 8 different IBV serotypes. A broad spectrum of protection from respiratory signs was obtained in each of the challenged groups (compared with unvaccinated controls). With 5 of the challenge viruses, protection against tracheal virus shed was good (70% or greater). Revaccination at 4 weeks old by the aerosol route with the 53rd and 72nd passages did not greatly enhance protection. However, the virus-serum-neutralizing (VN) titers with Massachusetts-type IBV as an indicator were high, and an anamnestic response was demonstrated at 8 weeks of age. The VN titers observed at 4 weeks old were generally low and did not correlate necessarily with the protection engendered.