Effects of bile and gastrointestinal secretions on the infectivity of Newcastle disease virus

Bile aspirated from chicken gall bladders was found to contain substances neutralizing Newcastle disease virus (NDV). Nonspecific factors were present in the bile, probably the bile acids, which caused a reduction in the infectivity of the virus. Specific anti-NDV activity was found in the bile of birds that had been vaccinated with a lentogenic strain, Ulster, and challenged with a velogenic, viscerotropic strain, California 1083. Immunoglobulins were also found in these secretions and demonstrated to include the immunoglobulin A class as well as immunoglobulin G. Variability in the neutralizing capacity of bile was found with two different plaque clones of strain 1083, indicating antigenic heterogeneity in the viral population. No difference was found between bile from uninfected birds and the bile from NDV-immune birds in their activities against influenza strain Turkey Ontario 7732, whereas activity existed against a non-viscerotropic strain of NDV, Texas GB. These findings suggest that the specific activity of the secretions was most probably due to the presence of secretory antibody. The importance of the antiviral substances present in the alimentary tract was discussed with respect to the protection of the chicken against the viscerotropic pathotype of NDV.