Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of antibodies to reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) at single serum dilution was standardized. REV HI, one of the Korean field isolates, was inoculated into chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cells and was harvested from the culture fluids and cells after 10 to 12 days. Viruses were purified by centrifugation at the 107,000×g for 12 hours on 20, 30, 45% (W/V) sucrose gradient. Virus specific fraction was collected and used as ELISA antigen. To standardize ELISA, the optimal concentration of coating antigen (1 ㎍/well) and conjugate (1/1000) was determined by corrected OD (OD value of positive serum-OD value of negative serum) and P/N ratio (OD value of positive serum/OD value of negative serum).

Body weights and blood biochemical values in chickens infected with reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV)-HI, a Korean isolate, were studied. REV-HI causes severe body weight depression in chickens inoculated but not in chicken contact-infected. Body weights of infected chickens in 3, 4, and 5 weeks after infection were 78%, 76% and 65% of those of control respectively. Blood glucose levels in REV-infected chickens were extremely high compared with those in control (226±21 vs. 814±91.3 mg/dl in week 2) during the experiment period. Triglyceride levels in REV-infected chickens were significantly higher in week 2 and 3, whereas in week 4, REV-infected chickens showed significantly lower levels than the control. Blood lipase, amylase and alkaline phosphatase levels of REV-infected chickens in week 2 were significantly higher, whereas cholesterol, magnesium and calcium values in week 4 were significantly lower than the control. Other blood biochemical values such as alkaline aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and γ-glutamyltransferase were nonsignificantly different from the control. These above results suggest that weight depression by REV may be related with increase of blood glucose, which indicated that REV-infected chickens could not use blood glucose as energy source.