The use of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect IgG antibodies to serotype-specific and group-specific antigens of fowl adenovirus serotypes 2, 3 and 4

A sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been developed which can detect serotype and group-specific antibodies (IgG) to fowl adenovirus serotypes 2, 3 and 4. The chickens produced principally type-specific antibodies after a single oral inoculation of virus which enabled that strain to be identified by the ELISA. However, inoculation of an heterologous serotype, although inducing strain-specific antibodies to itself, also induced high levels of antibody to the group-specific antigens. This masked the serotype-specific antibodies in the ELISA to the first serotype. The ELISA, which has similar sensitivity to the serum neutralisation test, could be used as a rapid, easily performed test to identify fowl adenovirus-specific antibodies.