title: Diagnosis of a naturally occurring dual infection of layer chickens with fowlpox virus and gallid herpesvirus 1 (infectious laryngotracheitis virus).
abstract: An outbreak of acute respiratory disease in layers was diagnosed as being of dual nature due to fowlpox and infectious laryngotracheitis using a multidisciplinary approach including virus isolation, histopathology, electron microscopy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The diagnosis was based on virus isolation of gallid herpesvirus 1 (GaHV-1) in chicken kidney cells and fowlpox virus (FWPV) in 9-day-old chicken embryonated eggs inoculated via the chorioallantoic membrane. The histopathology of tracheas from dead birds revealed intra-cytoplasmic and intra-nuclear inclusions suggestive of poxvirus and herpesvirus involvement. The presence of FWPV was further confirmed by electron microscopy, PCR and histology. All FWPV isolates contained the long terminal repeats of reticuloendotheliosis virus as demonstrated by PCR. GaHV-1 isolates were detected by PCR and were shown to have a different restriction fragment length polymorphism pattern when compared with the chicken embryo origin SA2 vaccine strain; however, they shared the same pattern with the Intervet chicken embryo origin vaccine strain. This is a first report of dual infection of chickens with GaHV-1 and naturally occurring FWPV with reticuloendotheliosis virus insertions. Further characterization of the viruses was carried out and the results are reported here.
authors.affiliation: Biosecurity Sciences Laboratory, Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation Locked Bag 4, Moorooka, Australia. Ibrahim.diallo@dpi.qld.gov.au
authors.forename: Ibrahim S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Diallo
authors.forename: Jim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gibson
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hoad
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Jong
authors.forename: Glen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hewitson
authors.forename: Bruce G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Corney
authors.forename: Barry J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Rodwell
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002645:Chickens; D004279:DNA, Viral; D005586:Fowlpox / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000821:virology; D005587:Fowlpox virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D001352:Herpesvirus 1, Gallid / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D045586:Intranuclear Inclusion Bodies; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016254:Mutagenesis, Insertional; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D001356:Reticuloendotheliosis virus / Q000235:genetics*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D020079:Terminal Repeat Sequences; D014132:Trachea / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D014765:Viral Vaccines