Diagnosis of infectious laryngotracheitis using a monoclonal antibody ELISA.

An ELISA has been developed which uses a selected monoclonal antibody specific for ILT virus. The ELISA proved to be as accurate as, yet faster than, virus isolation, more accurate than the fluorescent antibody test and more accurate and rapid than the relatively simple agar gel precipitin test. The ELISA clearly differentiated between chickens from commercial flocks infected with ILT virus and non-infected chickens, or chickens infected with other respiratory pathogens.