A novel method for the detection of duck hepatitis virus serotype1 (DHV1) using a biosensor based on imaging ellipsometry (IE) is developed. Polyclonal antibodies against DHV1 were immobilized on silicon wafers through protein A and used to capture virus particles in sample. Signals on silicon surface were acquired directly in grayscale format on an imaging ellipsometry image. This study demonstrated that the assay is rapid and accurate for detection of duck hepatitis virus. Compared with traditional methods, this technique not only has high sensitivity as low as 8 x 10(-9.5) LD(50)/ml, but can also simultaneously perform multiple serotype identification of DHV1, DHV1-g and DHV1-s. These results suggest that this biosensor might be a practicable diagnostic tool for duck hepatitis virus detection. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.