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Molecular characterization of fowl adenovirus in commercial chicken flocks in Ecuador

Abstract:

Fowl Adenovirus Group I (FAdV-I) is considered an important pathogen in the poultry industry in Ecuador and worldwide. Inclusion Body Hepatitis (IBH) and Hydropericardium Syndrome (HPS) are the main diseases associated with this virus. Despite being an etiological agent that is usually related to immunosuppressive diseases such as Chicken Anemia Virus or Gumboro disease, recent studies have demonstrated the pathological activity of FAdV-I as the primary responsible for certain diseases. Since the 1990s, several outbreaks of IBH and HPS have been reported in many Latin American countries including Ecuador, identifying the serotype 4 of FADV-I as the causal agent of these outbreaks. The aim of this study was to characterize by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and first-generation sequencing, the FAdV-I serotypes circulating in commercial poultry farms in Ecuador. Several organs of broilers with enteric problems were collected from 13 farms in the northern area of Ecuador, and subsequently impregnated in FTA cards for transport and processing. 4/13 (30.8%) samples were positive for FAdV-I, and by sequencing and bioinformatic analysis of DNA amplified by PCR, serotypes 6 and 11 of FAdV-I were characterized. These data show us the variety of serotypes circulating in poultry farms in Ecuador that could be influencing the health status of the country's poultry industry.