Evaluation of a commercial avian leukosis ELISA kit for detecting hens which shed leukosis virus to their progeny.

A commercial avian leukosis ELISA kit was used to test egg albumen and vaginal swab samples from 103 hens for evidence of shedding of exogenous lymphoid leukosis virus, and the results were compared with those of direct complement fixation and R(-)Q tests on these samples. There was little difference between the results of the sampling or testing methods used. No test detected all shedding hens but the ELISA test on egg albumen was marginally the most successful.