title: Investigation of Marek's disease virus from chickens in central Ethiopia.
abstract: Marek's disease (MD) is a lymphoproliferative and neuropathic disease of domestic chickens and less commonly, turkeys and quails, caused by a highly contagious, cell-associated, oncogenic herpesvirus. In Ethiopia, MD is believed to be introduced with importation of exotic and crossbred to improve the poultry production and has been reported to be a potential threat to the poultry sector both in backyard and commercial farming systems. This study was aimed at isolation and molecular analysis of MD virus isolates circulating in chicken population in the central part of Ethiopia where commercial farms are populated. From September 2013 to January 2014, clinical and post-mortem examination were conducted on diseased chickens suspected of MD virus infection. Representative spleen and feather follicle samples were collected following sterile procedure, and infectious virus isolation was performed using primary chicken fibroblast cell culture. Cell culture inoculated with suspension of pathological samples developed characteristic MD virus cytopathic effect of rounding of the cells and small plaques. Further analysis of the virus was conducted by conventional PCR amplifying the ICP4 gene fragment from eleven tissue samples using MD virus specific primers. PCR products were further sequenced and analyzed. Nucleotide sequence similarity search of the local isolates resulted a high degree of sequence similarity with Gallid Herpes virus type 2 strain (Marek's disease virus type 1, JN034558). To our knowledge, the present study is the first report conducted on virus isolation and molecular characterization of MD virus isolates circulated in Ethiopia. Eleven ICP4-like gene fragment (318 bp) sequences generated in the present study were uploaded in the public database (KU842366-76). Further research on virus isolation, genetic characterization, and infection dynamics is recommended targeting chickens of all age groups reared in different agro-ecological zones under different production system.
authors.affiliation: Research and Development Department, National Veterinary Institute (NVI), P.O. Box 19, Debre zeit, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Berhan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Demeke
authors.affiliation: Research and Development Department, National Veterinary Institute (NVI), P.O. Box 19, Debre zeit, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Shiferaw
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jenberie
authors.affiliation: College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 34, Debre zeit, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Biruk
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tesfaye
authors.affiliation: Research and Development Department, National Veterinary Institute (NVI), P.O. Box 19, Debre zeit, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Gelagay
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ayelet
authors.affiliation: Research and Development Department, National Veterinary Institute (NVI), P.O. Box 19, Debre zeit, Ethiopia.
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yami
authors.affiliation: Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy Agency, Animal Production and Health Laboratory, Wagramer Strasse 5, P.O. Box 100, A-1400, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Charles Euloge
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Lamien
authors.affiliation: Research and Development Department, National Veterinary Institute (NVI), P.O. Box 19, Debre zeit, Ethiopia. esayasgelaye@gmail.com.|Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, International Atomic Energy Agency, Animal Production and Health Laboratory, Wagramer Strasse 5, P.O. Box 100, A-1400, Vienna, Austria. esayasgelaye@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Esayas
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gelaye
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001344:Autopsy; D001483:Base Sequence; D002645:Chickens / Q000821:virology*; D017931:DNA Primers; D005002:Ethiopia; D005241:Feathers / Q000821:virology; D008381:Herpesvirus 2, Gallid / Q000235:genetics; D008380:Marek Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D011200:Poultry / Q000821:virology; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013154:Spleen / Q000821:virology; D014422:Turkeys / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers
keywords: Chickens; Ethiopia; Gallid herpes virus type 2; Marek’s disease virus; Molecular characterization; Virus isolation