Flock

Pathology

Virus

Nidovirales

Avian infectious bronchitis

Avian infectious bronchitis virus

Disease

Infectious bronchitis virus

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Infectious disease (medical specialty)

Biology

Microbiology

Paleontology

Virology

Coronavirus

Spike Protein

Tissue tropism

Tropism

Medicine

Journal of Virology

Infectious bronchitis virus is the causative agent of infectious bronchitis in chickens. Upon infection of chicken flocks, the poultry industry faces substantial economic losses by diminished egg quality and increased morbidity and mortality of infected animals. While all IBV strains infect the chicken respiratory tract via the ciliated epithelial layer of the trachea, some strains can also replicate in the kidneys, dividing IBV into the following two pathotypes: nonnephropathogenic (example, IBV-M41) and nephropathogenic viruses (including IBV-QX). Here, we set out to identify the determinants for the extended nephropathogenic tropism of IBV-QX. Our data reveal that each pathotype makes use of a different sialylated glycan ligand, with binding sites on opposite sides of the attachment protein. This knowledge should facilitate the design of antivirals to prevent coronavirus infections in the field.

Three Amino Acid Changes in Avian Coronavirus Spike Protein Allow Binding to Kidney Tissue