Effects of infectious bronchitis virus (Arkansas strain) on laying chickens

Seventy-seven-week-old white leghorn layers were inoculated intraocularly with the Arkansas strain of infectious bronchitis virus (AIBV) to study the effects of the virus on egg production and on antibody response of the birds. Infected hens laid fewer eggs than the controls, and those eggs weighed less than eggs laid by controls. Further, the shell quality and internal quality of eggs laid by infected birds were inferior. The serum hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) titers of infected birds increased continuously through 4 weeks postinfection; serum HI titers of the controls were negligible.