Review Article: Chicken Immunoglobulin IgY Preparation, and Its Applications in Prevention and / or Control of Some Microbial Affections.

Abstract

A VIAN eggs are one of the largest sources of nutrients required for the development of embryos (proteins, fat, vitamins, growth factors, minerals and a great number of defense factors to protect embryo and neonates against specific infectious agents that affect their mother or against the received vaccine. The yolk of chicken eggs contains the immunoglobulin IgY which is the main antibody in the blood of birds, amphibians, and lungfish. IgY plays the role of mammalian IgG. IgY antibodies are passed from the mother hen serum to their eggs. The recently adopted technological methods facilitate the production and separation of specific highly purified IgY in hen's egg yolk, to be used as an alternative for antibiotics, and conventional serum-based techniques of antibody generation. Hens as IgY factory are kept under normal conditions of life and management without any stress, and they produce eggs containing the desired antibodies. Hens can be immunized by means of s.c or i. m by injection of 0.5-1.0 ml of antigen, to obtain antibody titers ranging from 1/10 4 -1/10 6 after one or 3 -4 booster doses. Prepared IgY can be stored active under cool or in dried form for about a year, and can administered to birds orally in feed or water as well as by injection.Our review as part of our Master's degree in poultry diseases, mainly focuses on the collection of published data on hen immunization, collection of eggs, preparation, separation, purification, and usage of the specific egg yolk IgY in poultry restoratives against different pathogens, maintain healthy respiratory, oral, and digestive systems, and also, denote its value in disease prevention and treatment in the field of poultry industry.