Serological monitoring of avian encephalomyelitis virus in broiler breeder flocks of northern Iran

Ziafati Kafi, Zahra; Navid Talemi, Mostafa; Ghane Khoshkbijari, Farhad; Zeirani Gashti, Nastaran; Jafari Sayadi, Aida; Mohammadi Nodeh, Azadeh; Faghih Mohammadi, Farhang; Ataee, Mohammad; Ghalyanchi Langeroudi, Arash

doi:10.22034/nfvm.2026.541927.1298

Serological monitoring of avian encephalomyelitis virus in broiler breeder flocks of northern Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Zahra Ziafati Kafi ¹

Mostafa Navid Talemi ²

Farhad Ghane Khoshkbijari ²

Nastaran Zeirani Gashti ²

Aida Jafari Sayadi ²

Azadeh Mohammadi Nodeh ²

Farhang Faghih Mohammadi ²

Mohammad Ataee ²

Arash Ghalyanchi Langeroudi ³

¹ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran

² Navid Morgh Company, Rasht, Iran

³ Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/nfvm.2026.541927.1298

Abstract

Avian encephalomyelitis is an important viral disease among breeder flocks, causing clinical signs such as loss of balance, tremors in the head and neck, and finally leads to death. The present serological study investigated antibody titers produced following vaccination in 37 broiler breeder flocks across northern provinces of Iran. Evaluation of antibody levels using the IDEXX ELISA kit showed that the mean antibody titer in the first week was 1639 ±143.1. The mean antibody titer in all examined flocks prior to vaccination at 9 weeks of age was 254 ± 48.2, indicating that the flocks lacked protective antibodies against avian encephalomyelitis. After vaccination, the mean antibody titers at 15 and 24 weeks of age were 4608 ± 299.2 and 3381 ± 391.2, respectively. The highest antibody titer in breeder flocks was observed at week 77 (6085 ± 2699). Furthermore, comparison of antibody titers after vaccination in some flocks using both IDEXX and BioChek kits revealed a significant difference between the results of these two commercial ELISA kits (P ≤ 0.0005). This study, conducted to evaluate the dynamics of antibody titers against avian encephalomyelitis virus in Iran, represents one of the first investigations assessing this issue at different ages in major broiler breeder production centers. The findings can assist researchers and clinicians in designing effective vaccination programs.

Keywords

Avian Encephalomyelitis

Broiler Breeder

Iran

ELISA

Antibody

Subjects