Pathological and Ultrastructural studies on chickens infected with adenovirus

Abstract

This study was done to investigate the role of avian adenovirus as disease problem among naturally infected chickens, and to study its pathogenicity experimentally on different aged chicks. Different methods for its diagnosis and identification were also used such as immunoperoxidase, in situ hybridization, electron microscopy and Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).

Natural infection:

Serum samples and tissue specimens were collected from 197 chicks suspected to be infected with adenovirus. Result of AGP test on collected serum showed that 35 (18%)out of 197 were positive to adenovirus group I in Ismailia governorate. Most infected birds showed enlarged, friable, with petechea and in some cases pin point necrotic foci. Microscopically the liver revealed the typical picture of IBH with the characteristic intranuclear inclusion bodies, bursa and spleen showed different degrees of depletion.

Experimental infection:

Two experiments were done then to study the pathogenicity of two different serotypes of fowl adenovirus (serotype 4 and serotype 8).

!-Embryonated eggs:

Embryonated eggs had been chosen to study the distribution of the virus in different tissues every day as it is easy to kill large numbers of embryonated chicks every day.