Transferrin–Ovotransferrin
Ovotransferrin is an iron-binding glycoprotein, found in egg white and chicken serum, belonging to the family of transferrin iron-binding glycoproteins. It is a negative APP in mammals, but a positive one in chickens [18]. It is a moderate APP, increasing 10- to 100-fold upon inflammatory stimulation. Elevated serum IL-6 concentrations and increased numbers of heterophils preceded an increase in ovotransferrin [19], which peaked after 3 days, remained high at 5 days, and returned to basal levels after 10 days. Challenges with E. coli, fowl poxvirus, respiratory enteric orphan virus, infectious bursal disease virus, infectious bronchitis virus, and infectious laryngotracheitis virus have all been reported to increase the level of ovotransferrin in serum [10,20]. Ovotransferrin appears to be a multi-functional protein with iron binding, iron delivery, bacteriostatic, bactericidal, antiviral, and immunomodulating properties
