title: Molecular detection of avian pox virus from nodular skin and mucosal fibrinonecrotic lesions of Iranian backyard poultry.
abstract: In recent years, some outbreaks of skin lesions suspected to be avian pox were observed in the backyard poultry in different parts of western areas in Iran. Consequently, 328 backyard poultries with suspected signs of avian pox virus infection were sampled. All birds showed nodular lesions on unfeathered head skin and/or fibronecrotic lesions on mucus membrane of the oral cavity and upper respiratory tract. For histopathological analysis, the sections of tissue samples from cutaneous lesions of examined birds were stained with H&E method. For PCR, after DNA extraction a 578-bp fragment of avian pox virus from 4b core protein gene was amplified. Results showed 217 and 265 out of 328 (66.1 and 80.7%, respectively) samples were positive for avian pox virus on histopathological and PCR examination, respectively. In this study, the samples that had intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies on pathologic examination were PCR positive. This study revealed that PCR is a valuable tool for identification of an avian pox virus and that the frequency of pox infection in backyard poultry in western areas of Iran is high.
authors.affiliation: Research Center of Medicinal Plants and Ethnoveterinary, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, P.O. Box: 166, Shahrekord, Iran, mgholamia@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gholami-Ahangaran
authors.forename: Noosha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zia-Jahromi
authors.forename: Abdolrasul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Namjoo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D018150:Avipoxvirus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011200:Poultry; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D011213:Poxviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D017193:Skin Diseases, Viral / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*