Production of Anti-Camel IgY for diagnosis of infectious diseases affecting camels located in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Chicken can be used for the production of hyper-immune serum for many type of antigens specially, the antigens of mammals and other species. Therefore, the current study aimed to use the chickens for the productions of anti-camel IgY- antibodies using ammonium sulphate and ammonium sulphate - caprylic acid methods for detection of any infectious disease affecting camels.One ml of purified camel IgG of mixed with complete freund's adjuvant was injected intramuscularly and S/C to four groups of laying hens (Hisex strain, 140 days old). The first booster dose was administrated two week after first immunization with one ml of purified camel IgG mixed with incomplete freund's adjuvant and the hens were repeatedly boostered (three times) at two weeks intervals. During the immunization periods we collect the eggs every day and the anti-camel immunoglobulins Y was separated by using two extraction methods; the ammonium sulphate precipitation method and the ammonium sulphate caprylic acid method, the sensitivity and the specificity of the recovered antibody against the camel IgG were evaluated using SDS-PAGE and ELISA.Two weeks after the initial dose of immunizing the hens the anti-camels IgY-antibodies were detected then the mean antibody titer increased significantly (P < 0.05) till became the highest level at 10 weeks post immunization. The antibody titer remain at high level without significant increase (P > 0.05) up to 12 weeks after the first dose of immunization then started to decrease.Therefore, there are several benefits of using immunized chicken to produce IgY antibodies rather than using other species such as mammals in order to prepare anti-camels antibodies conjugates for diagnosis of infectious disease affecting camels.