Seventeen isolates of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) were obtained from various prefectures of Japan during 2008-2019 and genetically analyzed. The IBV isolates were classified into six genetic groups, based on phylogenetic analysis of the S1 gene. The S1 genotypes were distinguishable by a newly developed restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) method using three endonucleases, Hae II, Hpa I, and Fok I. Moreover, the isolates were classified into four genetic groups, based on phylogenetic analysis of the S2 gene. However, novel genetic groups based on a combination of S1 and S2 genotypes, which were undetected previously, were confirmed in this study, indicating that various recombinant IBV strains were prevalent in poultry in Japan.
Keywords: diversity; genotype; infectious bronchitis virus.