Study on the local effect of eye‐drop vaccination against infectious bronchitis in 1‐day‐old chicks with maternal antibodies

One-day-old chicks with maternal antibodies to infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) were vaccinated by eye-drop with H120 vaccine strain of IBV. Four weeks later the chicks were challenged by eye-drop or intratracheally with virulent IBV (Massachusetts-type field strain). The chicks were resistant to ocular challenge, but highly susceptible to an intratracheal challenge. After intratracheal challenge the birds showed clinical signs of infectious bronchitis (IB). The immunofluorescence test on IBV was positive. Macroscopical and microscopical lesions were present in the trachea. From these observations it was concluded that the protection against virulent IBV after eye-drop vaccination is localised mainly in the conjunctival and nasal tissues. Thus in vaccination studies with IBV the result of challenge depended highly on the route of application of the challenge virus. Ten days after challenge the neutralisation index of serum for IBV was significantly higher in the intratracheally-challenged chicks as compared with their eye-drop challenged or/and unchallenged mates.