title: Identification and molecular analysis of infectious bursal disease in broiler farms in the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq.
abstract: The present study was undertaken to characterize field isolates of infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). The identification was done using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and partial sequencing of the VP2 gene. Pooled bursal samples were collected from commercial broiler farms located in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of Iraq. The genetic material of the IBDV was detected in 10 out of 29 field samples. Sequences of the hypervariable VP2 region were determined for 10 of these viruses. Molecular analysis of the VP2 gene of five IBDVs showed amino acid sequences consistent with the very virulent (vv) IBDV. Two samples were identified as classic vaccine viruses, and three samples were classic vaccine viruses that appear to have mutated during replication in the field. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all five field IBDV strains of the present study were closely related to each other. On the basis of nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, it is very likely that IBD-causing viruses in this part of Iraq are of the very virulent type. These IBDVs appear to be evolving relative to their type strains.
authors.affiliation: Animal Health Department, General Directorate of Animal Wealth and Veterinary, Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, Kurdistan Regional Government, Erbil, Iraq, oumedgergis6@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Oumed Gerjis M
authors.initials: OG
authors.lastname: Amin
authors.forename: Daral J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Jackwood
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D018175:Birnaviridae Infections / Q000662:veterinary*; D002645:Chickens; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D007243:Infectious bursal disease virus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D007493:Iraq; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000662:veterinary; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000235:genetics; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; C082513:VP2 protein, infectious bursal disease virus; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins; D014765:Viral Vaccines