Abstract
The present study was conducted in order to isolate, identify and characterize fowl aviadenovirus associated with inclusion body hepatitis (IBH) in three poultry farms (two of broiler chickens and one of breeder broiler chickens) in Morocco during 2015. Liver samples collected from affected three poultry farms were examined by histopathological examination. Tissue samples showing necrosis of hepatocytes associated with basophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies were homogenized and submitted to FAdV isolation in chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cell cultures and in SPF embryonated eggs. The cytopathic effect (CPE) was observed in the second passage with swelling and rounding of infected cells. The inoculated embryos were hemorrhagic and showed hepatitis with the presence of basophilic intra-nuclear inclusion bodies within hepatocytes. The presence of the virus was confirmed by conventional polymerase chain reaction based on hexon gene from all investigated samples. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis of the hexon gene revealed that FAdVs isolated from different affected poultry belonged to FAdV 11 serotype of the D genotype group. This work is the first isolation in cell culture and SPF embryonated eggs of FAdV from Moroccan broilers and breeder broiler chickens with IBH.
Highlights
Inclusion body hepatitis (IBH) is an acute disease, mainly occuring in young broiler chickens (3–7 weeks old) and caused by several serotypes of fowl adenovirus (FAdV) [1]
Infected cells were rounding and started to detach from the monolayers and clump by 72h whereas no such changes were observed in the uninfected chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cell cultures
Diagnosis was based on postmortem and histopathological examinations which revealed enlarged and pale liver with the presence of basophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies in hepatocytes
Summary
Inclusion body hepatitis (IBH) is an acute disease, mainly occuring in young broiler chickens (3–7 weeks old) and caused by several serotypes of fowl adenovirus (FAdV) [1]. FAdVs are classified within the Aviadenovirus genus, family of Adenoviridae, and are further classified into five species (FadV-A to FAdV-E) and 12 serotypes (FAdV-1 to 8a and 8b to 11) based on cross neutralization assay [2,3]. The IBH has been reported in other avian species, including turkeys [4], pigeons [5,6,7], geese [8], psittacine birds [9,10]. Natural outbreaks of IBH are characterized by a sudden onset of mortality which peaks within 3–4 days and return to normal by days 5–6.
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