Al-Mubarak Abdullah I A, Hussen Jamal, Kandeel Mahmoud, Al-Kubati Anwar A G, Falemban Baraa, Hemida Maged Gomaa
Department of Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al-Hofuf, Saudi Arabia.
Vet World. 2023 Sep;16(9):1866-1870. doi: 10.14202/vetworld.2023.1866-1870. Epub 2023 Sep 17.
Avian viral diseases usually cause high economic losses because of high morbidity and mortality and poor growth. The rearing of chickens in backyards could have an important role in the spread of certain diseases, particularly those of viral origin. Infected birds might be prone to many viral infections for several reasons, including a lack of vaccination programs, the mixing of different bird species in the same location, and the close interactions of these birds with wild and migratory birds carrying various pathogens. This study aimed to conduct serological surveillance of avian encephalomyelitis virus (AEV) in some backyard chickens in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia.
Serum samples (n = 368) were collected from domestic chickens reared in 10 backyards in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. None of the domestic birds in these 10 backyards were vaccinated against the virus. In addition, 78 serum samples were collected from free-ranging birds belonging to Columbidae, such as pigeons and doves, in common areas near the domestic backyards. We tested these sera for specific antibodies against AEV.
Our results revealed seroconversion to AEV among the examined chickens (14.6%). None of the tested pigeons and doves displayed seroconversion to AEV.
Seroconversion of these non-vaccinated birds against AEV was suggestive of a recent natural infection by this virus. Further studies with a large number of birds are required to molecularly characterize the circulating strains of this virus in this area.
禽病毒性疾病通常因发病率和死亡率高以及生长不良而导致巨大经济损失。后院养鸡可能在某些疾病的传播中起重要作用，尤其是那些病毒起源的疾病。受感染的禽类可能由于多种原因而容易感染多种病毒，包括缺乏疫苗接种计划、在同一地点混养不同鸟类以及这些鸟类与携带各种病原体的野生和候鸟密切接触。本研究旨在对沙特阿拉伯东部地区一些后院鸡群进行禽脑脊髓炎病毒（AEV）的血清学监测。
从沙特阿拉伯东部省10个后院饲养的家鸡中采集血清样本（n = 368）。这10个后院的家禽均未接种该病毒疫苗。此外，从后院附近公共区域自由放养的鸽形目鸟类（如鸽子）中采集了78份血清样本。我们检测了这些血清中针对AEV的特异性抗体。
我们的结果显示，在所检测的鸡群中存在AEV血清转化（14.6%）。所检测的鸽子均未出现AEV血清转化。
这些未接种疫苗的禽类出现AEV血清转化表明近期自然感染了该病毒。需要对大量禽类进行进一步研究，以从分子水平鉴定该地区该病毒的流行毒株特征。
