Primary antibody responses of herons to experimental infection with Murray Valley encephalitis and Kunjin viruses.

Antibody responses of rufous night herons (Nycticorax caledonicus) and little egrets (Egretta garzetta) following infection with Murray Valley encephalitis and Kunjin viruses were determined. Haemagglutinin-inhibiting antibodies were first detected on day 5 or 6 after inoculation and increased rapidly, reaching maximum titres of 320 to 2560 between 10 and 20 days after inoculation. Titres declined 20-320 between 60 and 120 days after inoculation, then tended to remain stationary. Titres were 2- to 8-fold higher to infecting virus than heterologous virus. Neutralizing antibody development paralleled that of HI antibodies with titres maintained at a higher level for longer periods; however, they did eventually decline to low levels. Following MVE virus infection IgM (19S), HI antibodies were 80-100% of HI antibodies detectable on day 6 or 7 after inoculation and declined rapidly, becoming undetectable by 20 days after inoculation. With Kunjin virus infections, IgM HI antibodies represented 90-100% of HI antibodies detectable on day 6 or 7 after inoculation. Significant levels of IgM HI antibodies were still detectable 20 days after inoculation (5-30% of total HI antibodies) and, in some birds, even at 27 days after inoculation (up to 10%), IgG (7S) HI antibodies were low or undetectable on day 6 or 7 after inoculation, then increased rapidly with rapidly rising HI antibody titres. The specificity of IgM and IgG antibodies and unfractionated sera was determined by testing against Murray Valley encephalitis, Kunjin, Japanese encephalitis and West Nile virus haemagglutinating antigens. It was possible to determine with which virus a bird had been infected from the pattern of cross-reaction with these antigens. These results should provide a rational basis for the interpretation of serological results from naturally infected birds.