Search

Ten fowl adenoviruses (FAVs), isolated from suspected cases of inclusion body hepatitis (IBH) in quails and broilers, were characterized by a hexon-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) combined with restriction enzyme analysis (REA) of the amplified DNA fragments. All the isolates could be detected using H1/H2 and H3/H4 primer sets. Amplification of DNA with H1/H2 and H3/H4 primer sets resulted in fragments of approximately 1219 bp and 1319 bp, respectively. HaeII digestion of the H1/ H2 PCR products and HpaII digestion of the H3/H4 PCR products characterized all the isolates in FAV groups, known from genomic typing using the whole DNA. For some of the isolates, neutralization tests were used to confirm these results. The results revealed that, as well as FAV serotype 1, which is the sole member of DNA group A, FAVs of DNA group E are also associated with IBH in poultry in northern India. The FAV specific PCR combined with REA was found to be very useful in investigating the epidemiological situation in the field. It was even possible to define mixed infections with more than one FAV.

An outbreak of mycotic tracheitis was observed in 8000 2-month-old, female White Leghorn birds. The birds were showing difficult respiration and there was mortality of 7-8 birds daily in the flock. On post-mortem examination of the affected birds, the trachea was found to be occluded with a white caseous mass. Microscopically hyphae were found invading the tracheal epithelium, cartilage and serosal layer along with infiltration of macrophages and lymphocytes. Aspergillus fumigatus was isolated in pure culture from the trachea. The birds responded to oral copper sulphate treatment. The ubiquitous occurrence of the organism and the conditions of the harvesting season have been found to be responsible for the outbreak of the disease.

In 13,483 necropsies of domestic fowl, six anomalies were recorded: bifurcation of the metasternum, duplication of the ileum, pancreas divisum (partial), vesica fellea occulta, aplasia of the left cecum, and aplasia of the right kidney (2 cases).

During routine necropsies performed in domestic chickens, two abnormalities were noticed in adult White Leghorn female birds; one was of the sternal keel (carina), and the other was of the cecum.

In 14,891 necropsies performed on domestic poultry during January 1976 to October 1977, two cases of skeletal abnormalities were found. One was a tarsometatarsal spur in an adult female chicken, and the other was a crossed-beak associated with microphthalmia.