Novel genotype of infectious bronchitis virus isolated in China.

•A novel genotype, designated as GVII-1, has been identified in south China over a 5-year period.•GVII-1 was derived from two recombination events that replaced the spike gene in a GI-18-like virus with an as-yet-unidentified sequence.•GVII-1 represented a novel serotype.•GVII-1 showed a low affinity to the respiratory tract in chickens.