Abstract
Enteric viruses play an important role in the Brazilian poultry industry due to the economic impact of resulting low yields of broilers, layers, and breeders. The most common enteric viruses affecting commercial flocks in Brazil include Fowl Adenovirus of group I (FAdV-I), Chicken Parvovirus (ChPV), Chicken Astrovirus (CAstV), Avian Nephritis Virus (ANV), Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV), Avian Reovirus (AReo), and Avian Rotavirus (ARtV). The aim of this study was to identify single and multiple infections using data obtained from 270 samples from eleven Brazilian states, corresponding to the period between 2010 and 2017. This was accompanied by an analysis of the relationship between the age of birds, clinical signs, and geographical distribution, using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and Reverse Transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) techniques. Twenty-five profiles of virus combinations were detected. Single infections were encountered in 86.3% of samples, and multiple infections were present in the remaining 13.7%. Both single and multiple infections affected all kinds of commercial chickens with digestive problems, stunting syndrome, decreases in egg and meat production, increased mortality, and respiratory signs. FAdV-I, ChPV, CAstV, ANV, and ARtV were mostly detected in young broilers, in contrast with IBV, which was detected in hens from one to greater than 51 weeks of age. These results exhibit the complexity of enteric diseases and the still poorly understood role of each pathogen as a unique etiological agent.
Highlights
Enteric viruses are the etiological agents for a series of health disturbances for commercial chickens around the world
A total of 333 viruses were found in 270 samples, and the most common virus detected corresponded to Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV), showing a 58.9% (196/333) occurrence, followed by Avian Nephritis Virus (ANV) with 12.6% (42/333), Fowl Adenovirus of group I (FAdV-I) with 8.4% (28/333), Chicken Astrovirus (CAstV) with 8.1% (24/333), Chicken Parvovirus (ChPV) with 6.6% (22/333), Avian Rotavirus (ARtV) with 5.1%
Single infections were found in 86.3% (233/270) of the samples, with IBV being the most predominant virus diagnosed as a unique agent
Summary
Enteric viruses are the etiological agents for a series of health disturbances for commercial chickens around the world They cause severe economic losses for the poultry industry because they negatively affect productive parameters, causing growth retardation, low feed consumption, high mortality, poor egg and meat production, and Runting-Stunting Syndrome (RSS) [1,2,3,4]. These kinds of infections affect mostly young birds, but it is common to find viral infections in birds of all ages, including broilers, layers, and breeders [5].
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