Anticorpos IgY aviário: Características e aplicações em imunodiagnóstico

Abstract

Immunoglobulin Y (IgY) is the major antibody isotype in birds, reptiles, amphibia, and lungfi sh, playing a similar biological role as mammal IgG. Due to its phylogenetic distance, immune diversifi cation and presence in the egg yolk, IgY provide a number of advantages in immunodiagnostic compared to IgG from mammals. Moreover, IgY production is in agreement with international efforts to reduce, refi ne and if possible, to replace animals in experimentation, contributing substantially in favor of animal welfare. This article presents an overview about structural and functional features, production and applications of IgY in immunodiagnostic, as well as the advantages of chicken antibodies use.