Background Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), a coronavirus, is one of the most important poultry pathogens worldwide due to its multiple serotypes and poor cross-protection. Vaccination plays a vital role in controlling the disease. The efficacy of vaccination in chicken flocks can be evaluated by detecting neutralizing antibodies with the neutralization test. However there are no simple and rapid methods for detecting the neutralizing antibodies. Results In this study, a peptide enzyme-linked

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... immunosorbent assay (pELISA) as a possible alternative to the neutralization test for evaluating the immune response to IBV vaccine was developed. The pELISA could indirect evaluate neutralizing antibody titers against different types of IBV in all tested sera. The titers measured with the pELISA had a coefficient of 0.83 for neutralizing antibody titers. Conclusions The pELISA could detect antibodies against different types of IBV in all tested sera. The pELISA has the potential to evaluate samples for IBV-specific neutralizing antibodies and surveillance the infection of IBV.