Thirty-Five Years of IBV Evolution in Chile Reveals a Novel Lineage and Evidence of Vaccine-Driven Recombination

Abstract

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) remains a major threat to poultry health worldwide due to frequent genetic changes mainly driven by recombination and limited cross-protection between genotypes. In this study, we analyzed IBV strains collected from clinical outbreaks in Chile between 1986 and 2021 to assess the long-term impacts of live-attenuated vaccines (Massachusetts and 4/91) on viral evolution. Phylogenetic analysis of the S1 and N genes revealed four major lineages circulating in Chile—GI-1, GI-13, GI-16, and a novel monophyletic clade we propose as GI-31. The latter, identified in isolates from 1986 to 1988, is highly divergent (22–24%) from other known lineages, representing a previously unreported South American IBV variant. Despite widespread Mass vaccination, genetically distinct field strains circulated during the 1980s, facilitating potential recombination with GI-1 vaccine-derived strains, including evidence of shared ancestry with GI-11, an endemic lineage from Brazil. Non-recombinant GI-16, likely introduced from Asia, was detected in isolates from 2009. Notably, a recombinant strain emerged in 2015, four years after 4/91 vaccine introduction, indicating vaccine–field-strain genetic exchange. By 2017, isolates with >99% identity to the 4/91 strain were recovered, suggesting vaccine-derived variants. In 2021, GI-1 re-emerged, showing recombination signatures between GI-1 and GI-13 (4/91-derived) strains, likely reflecting suboptimal or inconsistent vaccination strategies. Selection analyses showed strong purifying selection across most of the S1 gene, with limited sites under positive selection in the receptor-binding domain. Phylodynamic reconstruction revealed time-structured evolution and multiple introduction events over 35 years, with lineage-specific tMRCA estimates. Collectively, these findings highlight the emergence of a novel lineage in South America and demonstrate that vaccine use, while mitigating disease, has significantly shaped the evolution of IBV in Chile. Our results underscore the importance of continuous genomic surveillance to inform vaccine strategies and limit recombinant emergence. © 2025 by the authors.