Meeting Abstract
P2.34 Sunday, Jan. 5 15:30 Expanding our toolbox in avian ecological immunology: effectiveness of a new anti-passerine IgY detecting antibody in wild birds TRAN, T*; BOUGHTON, R; WILCOXEN, T; FAIR, J; HOFMEISTER, E; GRINDSTAFF, J; OWEN, J; FASSBINDER-ORTH, C; Creighton University; Archbold Biological Station; Millikin University; Los Alamos National Laboratory; USGS National Wildlife Health Center; Oklahoma State University; Michigan State University; Creighton University carolfassbinder-orth@creighton.edu
Immunological reagents for wild, non-model species are limited or often nonexistent for many wild species. In this study, we compare the reactivity of a new anti-passerine IgY detecting antibody with existing avian IgY detecting antibodies in birds. Samples from 41 species from the following 6 avian orders were analyzed: Anseriformes (1 family, 1 species), Columbiformes (1 family, 2 species), Galliformes (1 family, 1 species) Passeriformes (16 families, 34 species), Piciformes (1 family, 2 species), and Suliformes (1 family, 1 species). Direct ELISAs were performed to detect total IgY using goat-anti passerine IgY-HRP, goat anti-chicken IgY-HRP, or goat anti-bird IgY-HRP (Bethyl laboratories, Inc.) as detecting antibodies. The anti-passerine antibody exhibited significantly higher IgY reactivity compared to the anti-chicken and anti-bird antibodies in 75% of the passerine families tested (12/16). Birds in the Piciformes order (woodpeckers) and Suliformes order (cormorants) were poorly detected by all three detecting antibodies. Birds from the Anseriformes, Columbiformes, and Galliformes orders exhibited the highest IgY recognition with the anti-chicken detecting antibody. The results of this study indicate that the anti-passerine IgY detecting antibody can effectively be used in immunological assays to detect passerine IgY for species in most passerine families tested in this study. This new detecting antibody appears to be most useful at detecting antibodies in passerine birds, as birds from other avian orders exhibited lower IgY recognition with this antibody compared to the anti-chicken IgY or anti-bird IgY detecting antibodies.
