1Department of Pathology, West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences, Kolkata-700 037, West Bengal, India.
2ICAR-Directorate of Poultry Research, Hyderabad-500 030, Telangana, India.
3Globion India Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad-500 078, Telangana, India.
*Corresponding Author: T.R. Kannaki, ICAR-Directorate of Poultry Research, Hyderabad-500 030, Telangana, India. Email: trkannaki@gmail.com
Inclusion body hepatitis (IBH) caused by Fowl adeno virus (FAdV), is a re-emerging threat to broilers causing considerable economic loss to poultry industry worldwide.
The present study investigated the IBH outbreaks in commercial broiler flocks from different regions of India between 2019- and 2021 and identified the serotypes associated with it by molecular characterization of hexon gene of FAdV strains.
42 out of 98 flocks affected with IBH tested FAdV positive by PCR. Phylogenetic analysis grouped these strains into three serotypes; 25 strains (67.56%) were clustered with FAdV-11 serotype, 11 strains (29.72%) with FAdV-8b serotype and one strain with FAdV-8a (2.70%). Three serotypes FAdV-11, 8a and 8b of species D and E are currently circulating in Indian broilers. The present study indicates the need for continuous surveillance of FAdV and provides useful information for devising vaccination strategies for effective control of IBH in chickens.
Fowl adeno virus (FAdV), Hexon gene, IBH, Molecular serotyping, Phylogenetics
