A Monoclonal Antibody-Based Indirect Competitive ELISA for Detecting Goose Astrovirus Antibodies

Goose astrovirus (GoAstV) infection has become prevalent in major goose-producing regions, causing substantial economic losses to the industry. In this study, an indirect competitive ELISA (ic-ELISA) was developed based on a monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting the GoAstV VP27 protein. The recombinant VP27 protein was expressed in E. coli and purified, followed by the generation of murine mAbs using the purified antigen. Through screening with GoAstV particles, mAb 3G11 exhibited strong immunoreactivity, which was further confirmed by Western blot and immunofluorescence assay (IFA). The ic-ELISA conditions were optimized as follows: GoAstV particle coating concentration of 10⁴ TCID₅₀ per well, 3G11 mAb dilution of 1:8000, and incubation times of 120 min for coating, 60 min for serum samples, and 60 min for mAb binding. The assay exhibited satisfactory performance in terms of sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility. Using this method, serum samples collected from major goose farming areas in Shandong province were tested and showed an overall seropositivity rate of 11.7%. This study provided a reliable serological tool for detecting GoAstV-specific antibodies and would support future vaccine evaluation efforts.