An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of antibody to avian encephalomyelitis virus (AEV) has been developed for determining whether existing AEV control programs adequately protect breeder hens. A partially purified AEV antigen was bound to microcuvettes for reaction with specific primary antibody. A second antibody, rabbit anti-chicken immunoglobulin G (IgG) conjugated with horseradish peroxidase, was employed to react with bound primary IgG. The relative amount of bound primary IgG was detected using ortho-phenylenediamine as a substrate for enzymatic production of a chromogen by horseradish peroxidase. Intensity of absorbance of the chromogen at 490 nm was related to the bound primary antibody by the titration method. Negative antisera were surveyed to establish an appropriate positive/negative cutoff level at twice the mean absorbance of negative sera at a 1:100 dilution. The test reagents for the ELISA were optimized by reagent titrations utilizing known positive and negative antisera for discrimination. The optimized ELISA had a coefficient of variation of from 1.2 to 3.3 for within-assay titer and of 2.4 for between-assay mean titer. Even though the ELISA detected only specific IgG, it was as accurate as the virus-neutralization test for evaluating the immune status of hens to AEV. Moreover, the ELISA was more economical in the use of reagents, time, and personnel and was free from dependence on susceptible embryos. Since ELISAs can be standardized and measured with manual or automated instruments, the derived ELISA can be easily and economically used to evaluate the immune status of breeder hens in commercial poultry operations.