Detection and Molecular Characterization of Avian Metapneumovirus in Iran: The First Report

Avian pneumovirus (APV) causes turkey rhinotracheitis (TRT) and swollen head syndrome (SHS) of chickens, which is usually accompanied by secondary bacterial infections that increase mortality. In Iran, some serological studies indicated that APV infection is endemic in commercial poultry industry. In this study we diagnosed APV genome molecularly in suspected broiler flock (4 weeks) in Iran and characterized APV genome based on G glycoprotein .In phylogenetic analysis PCRLAB/HG2010 is located in B subtype cluster and near APV strains from Nigeria, Japan and Brazil. It is the first molecular epidemiology study on APV in Iran. In conclusion, vaccination programs in the Iranian poultry industry should be adjusted to include the APV vaccine to aid in the control of this respiratory disease. It is also concluded that more work is required to isolate and characterized AVP in different geographical regions of Iran and different species.