BioOne.org will be down briefly for maintenance on 17 December 2024 between 18:00-22:00 Pacific Time US. We apologize for any inconvenience.
How to translate text using browser tools
5 January 2021 Infectious Bronchitis Virus Prevalence, Characterization, and Strain Identification in California Backyard Chickens
Omar Gonzales-Viera, Beate Crossley, Francisco R. Carvallo-Chaigneau, Emily R. Blair, Daniel Rejmanek, Őzge Erdoǧan-Bamac, Karen Sverlow, Alejandra Figueroa, Rodrigo A. Gallardo, Aslı Mete
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) causes significant losses in the poultry industry throughout the world. Here we characterize the lesions of infectious bronchitis (IB) and IBV prevalence and identify the circulating strains in small flocks in California. Backyard chickens (BYCs) submitted to the Davis (Northern California; NorCal) and San Bernardino (Southern California; SoCal) branches of the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System from January through March 2019 were included in the study. Trachea, kidney, and cecal tonsils were collected for real-time reverse transcriptase (qRT)-PCR, histology, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and sequence analysis. A total of 50 chickens out of 169 submissions tested positive for IBV by qRT-PCR. Of these, 16% (20/123) were from NorCal and 65% (30/46) from SoCal laboratory. The cecal tonsil was the most frequently positive tissue by qRT-PCR and IHC. Lymphoplasmacytic tracheitis was the most frequent histopathologic finding in 24 of 39 birds, while the kidney showed interstitial nephritis, tubular necrosis, tubular dilation, and/or gout in 14 of 43 chickens. Infectious bronchitis virus played a primary role or a synergistic effect in the mortality of chickens that succumbed to other infectious diseases. The sequences of IBV detected in 22 birds were analyzed, and 14 strains were most similar to CA1737. One strain each matched Conn46, Cal99, and ArkDPI, and the remaining five did not have a substantial match to any available reference strains. The findings in this study indicate that small flocks can be reservoirs of IBV and might facilitate evolution of new variants as well as reversion of attenuated strains to virulence.

Omar Gonzales-Viera, Beate Crossley, Francisco R. Carvallo-Chaigneau, Emily R. Blair, Daniel Rejmanek, Őzge Erdoǧan-Bamac, Karen Sverlow, Alejandra Figueroa, Rodrigo A. Gallardo, and Aslı Mete "Infectious Bronchitis Virus Prevalence, Characterization, and Strain Identification in California Backyard Chickens," Avian Diseases 65(1), 188-197, (5 January 2021). https://doi.org/10.1637/aviandiseases-D-20-00113
Received: 20 October 2020; Accepted: 5 January 2021; Published: 5 January 2021
KEYWORDS
backyard chickens
California
gamma coronavirus
infectious bronchitis virus
pathology
PCR
strains
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top