1College
of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sulaimani, Sulaymaniyah46001, Iraq
2Medical
Laboratory Science Department, Komar University of Science and
Technology, Sulaymaniyah 46001, Iraq
3Kurdistan
Institution for Strategic Studies and Scientific Research,
Sulaymaniyah 46001, Iraq
4Molecular
Diagnostic Laboratory, Directorate of Veterinary Services in
Sulaymaniyah, Sulaymaniyah 46001, Iraq
*Corresponding author:
nahla.saeed@univsul.edu.iq;
dyary.othman@univsul.edu.iq
Abstract
Inclusion body hepatitis (IBH) is a disease caused by fowl adenovirus (FAdV),
categorized under the Adenoviridae family. FAdVs are distributed globally but
have not been documented in Iraq since 1979. This study reports the disease
occurrence in 89 broiler farms in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region, North Iraq,
from April 2013 to April 2021. Infected birds' ages ranged between two days and
four weeks. Clinically, birds were lethargic, huddling with ruffled feathers,
lacked appetite, and showed yellowish mucoid droppings. The gross lesions
included enlarged mottled liver, pale to icteric skin, swollen and pale kidneys,
and hemorrhage on the skeletal muscle. Also, histopathological examinations
revealed large intranuclear inclusion bodies in hepatocytes, degeneration and
congestion of liver sinusoids, degeneration of renal tubules, interstitial
tissue infiltrated with inflammatory cells, and necrotizing pancreatitis. PCR
was used to detect the virus by amplification of partial 1300 bp hexon
gene. The amplified fragments were confirmed by sequencing. The study results
indicate that avian adenovirus is enzootic in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan Region of
Iraq. Two different subgroups circulate in Kurdistan. The FAdV/Kurdistan/2013,
FAdV/Kurdistan/2020, and FAdV/Kurdistan/2021 belong to the FAdV-E subgroup. On
the other hand, the FAdV/Kurdistan/2015 belongs to the FAdV-D subgroup.
To Cite This Article:
Abdulrahman NR, Saeed
NM, Dyary HO, Mohamad SF, Sulaiman RR, Rashid PMA, Dana OI, Abdulahad EA and Mahmood ZH, 2022. Outbreaks of Inclusion body hepatitis caused by
fowl adenovirus in commercial broiler farms in the Kurdistan Region, North Iraq,
from 2013 to 2021. Pak Vet J, 42(2): 201-207.
http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2021.080