CEVA Animal Health, Poultry Division, Maslak, Türkiye.
Department of Virology, Istanbul University-Cerrahpasa, Veterinary Faculty, Hadimkoy, Istanbul, Türkiye.
BMC Vet Res. 2024 Jun 7;20(1):244. doi: 10.1186/s12917-024-04081-0.
Fowl adenovirus-4 is a causative agent of hydropericardium hepatitis syndrome (HHS) in chickens and has been frequently reported from many countries. Fowl adenoviruses cause severe disease and mortality in broiler and layer breeders in Azerbaijan. Therefore, in this study, pathological lesions and the dissemination of fowl adenovirus-4 into the visceral organs of infected birds were investigated as well as molecular characterisation of detected strains. For this, liver, heart and spleen from 20 necropsied chickens originated from a broiler breeder flock and a layer breeder flock were embeded on the FTA cards and the samples were analysed for adenovirus-DNA by PCR and sequencing.
The findings of necropsy in both broiler and layer breeder chickens were similar, and the liver was severely effected showing hepatitis, and the heart with hydropericardium lesions. The kidneys were swollen with haemorrhages and small white foci on the surface of the spleens were noted. Intestinal congestion and ecchymotic hemorrhages were also observed in some birds. Fowl adenovirus-4-DNA was detected by PCR in all collected organs of 20 birds. The sequence analysis revealed that fowl adenovirus-4 present in Azerbaijan and close similarity of the hexon genes of the adenoviruses existing in the Middle East, North America, far east and Indian subcontinent were determined by phylogenetic analysis. However, sequence diversity was detected from the adenovirus strains circulating in Europe, North and South America.
This study indicates the impact of fowl adenovirus-4 on the poultry health and production, and improved disease control and prevention strategies are necessary to reduce the HHS disease in chickens in Azerbaijan.
禽腺病毒-4 是引起鸡肿头肝炎综合征（HHS）的病原体，已在许多国家频繁报道。禽腺病毒在阿塞拜疆的肉鸡和蛋鸡养殖者中引起严重疾病和死亡率。因此，在这项研究中，研究了感染鸟类内脏器官中禽腺病毒-4 的病理病变和传播情况，以及检测到的毒株的分子特征。为此，从一个肉鸡养殖者群体和一个蛋鸡养殖者群体中剖检的 20 只病死鸡的肝脏、心脏和脾脏被嵌入 FTA 卡中，并用 PCR 和测序法对腺病毒-DNA 进行分析。
肉鸡和蛋鸡养殖者剖检的发现相似，肝脏受到严重影响，出现肝炎，心脏出现心包积液病变。肾脏肿胀，表面有出血和小白点，脾脏表面有小的白色病灶。一些鸟类的肠道充血和瘀点出血。通过 PCR 在收集的 20 只鸟类的所有器官中均检测到禽腺病毒-4-DNA。序列分析表明，阿塞拜疆存在禽腺病毒-4，与中东、北美、远东和印度次大陆存在的腺病毒的 hexon 基因密切相似，通过系统进化分析确定。然而，从欧洲、北美和南美循环的腺病毒株中检测到序列多样性。
本研究表明禽腺病毒-4 对家禽健康和生产的影响，需要改进疾病控制和预防策略，以减少阿塞拜疆鸡肿头肝炎综合征的发生。
