Avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) and reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) were detected in Arbor Acres (AA) parent broiler breeders between September 2008 and December 2009 in China. Samples from blood (n=1331) and sick chickens (n=152) were obtained from 19 flocks in China for serology, histopathology and PCR analysis. Serologic analysis revealed that the anti-ALV-J, -REV or -ALV-J and REV...

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of histopathological lesions in the different organs in relation to the commercial-type and the age of birds (i.e. broiler chickens and layers). During the period 1999-2010 a total of 189 cases was submitted to the Division of Animal Pathomorphology, Department of Pathology and Veterinary Diagnostics at WULS. Most cases were found in broiler ...

an experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of chemical amendments and reused litter on broiler performances, immune response and skin quality. five hundred and seventy six (576) day old broiler chickens were randomly allocated to 3x2 factorial design experiment. three amendments treatment included control (no chemical addition), alunminum sulfate and zeolite; two types of litter were ne...

The H5N1 avian influenza viruses emerged in Southeast Asia in the late 20th century and have evolved into multiple phylogenetic clades based on their hemagglutinin (HA)-encoding genes. The clade 7.2 viruses were first detected in chickens in northern China in 2006, and vaccines specifically targeted to the clade were developed and have been used in poultry in China since 2006. During routine su...

In chickens, colibacillosis is caused by avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) via respiratory tract infection. Many virulence factors, including type 1 (F1A) and P (F11) fimbriae, curli, aerobactin, K1 capsule, and temperature-sensitive hemagglutinin (Tsh) and plasmid DNA regions have been associated with APEC. A strong correlation between serum resistance and virulence has been demonstrate...

Low-fibre sunflower residue (SFR) included in the diet is a viable option for improving production in smallholder-owned poultry. Four hundred day-old broiler chicks (200 hybrid + 200 village chicks) were given broiler starter (1-28 days) and a low-fibre sunflower residue diet (29-84 days). On day 29 the chicks were randomly allocated to four treatments (2 types of chicks, 2 systems of housing):...

Marek's disease virus (MDV) is a preferred vector in the construction of recombinant vaccines. However, bivalent vaccine based on MDV that confers full protection against both very virulent Marek's and infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) infections in chickens has not been produced. Here we developed a system utilizing overlapping fosmid DNAs transfection that rescues an MDV type 1 (MDV1) va...

Salmonella enterica Gallinarum (SG) causes fowl typhoid (FT), a septicemic disease in avian species. We constructed deletion mutants lacking the stress sigma factor RpoS, the nitric oxide (NO)-detoxifying flavohemoglobin Hmp, and the SsrA/SsrB regulator to confirm the functions of these factors in SG. All gene products were fully functional in wild-type (WT) SG whereas mutants harboring single ...

Here we report the development and application of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect parvovirus-specific antibodies in chicken sera. We used an approach previously described for other parvoviruses to clone and express viral structural proteins in insect cells from recombinant baculovirus vectors. In baculovirus recombinant-infected Sf9 cells, the chicken parvovirus (ChPV) st...