Chicken hepatomegaly and splenomegaly associated with novel subgroup J avian leukosis virus infection

Background Subgroup J avian leukosis virus (ALV-J) is an oncovirus which can induce multiple types of tumors in chicken. In this report, we found novel ALV-J infection is closely associated with serious hepatomegaly and splenomegaly in chicken. Case presentation The layer chickens from six flocks in Jiangsu province, China, showed serious hemoperitoneum, hepatomegaly and splenomegaly. Histopathological results indicated focal lymphocytic infiltration, cell edema and congestion in the liver, atrophy and depletion of lymphocyte in the spleen. Tumor cells were not detected in all the organs. avian hepatitis E virus (aHEV), which is thought to be the cause of a very similar disease, big liver and spleen disease (BLS), was not detected. Other viruses causing tumors or liver damage including Marek’s disease virus (MDV), reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV), fowl adenovirus (FAdV) and chicken infectious anemia virus (CIAV) were also proved negative by either PCR or RT-PCR. However, we did detect ALV-J in those chickens using PCR. Only novel ALV-J strains were efficiently isolated from these chicken livers. Conclusions This is the first report that chicken hepatomegaly and splenomegaly disease was closely associated with novel ALV-J, highlighting the importance of ALV-J eradication program in China.

Transcriptome Analysis of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) Skin in Response to Sea Lice and Infectious Salmon Anemia Virus Co-Infection Under Different Experimental Functional Diets

Sea lice (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) are ectoparasitic copepods that cause significant economic loss in marine salmoniculture. In commercial salmon farms, infestation with sea lice can enhance susceptibility to other significant pathogens, such as the highly contagious infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAv). In this study, transcriptomic analysis was used to evaluate the impact of four experimental functional feeds (i.e. 0.3% EPA/DHA+high-ω6, 0.3% EPA/DHA+high-ω6+immunostimulant (IS), 1% EPA/DHA+high-ω6, and 1% EPA/DHA+high-ω3) on Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) during a single infection with sea lice (L. salmonis) and a co-infection with sea lice and ISAv. The overall objectives were to compare the transcriptomic profiles of skin between lice infection alone with co-infection groups and assess differences in gene expression response among animals with different experimental diets. Atlantic salmon smolts were challenged with L. salmonis following a 28-day feeding trial. Fish were then challenged with ISAv at 18 days post-sea lice infection (dpi), and maintained on individual diets, to establish a co-infection model. Skin tissues sampled at 33 dpi were subjected to RNA-seq analysis. The co-infection’s overall survival rates were between 37%-50%, while no mortality was observed in the single infection with lice. With regard to the infection status, 756 and 1303 consensus differentially expressed genes (DEGs) among the four diets were identified in “lice infection vs. pre-infection” and “co-infection vs. pre-infection” groups, respectively, that were shared between the four experimental diets. The co-infection groups (co-infection vs. pre-infection) included up-regulated genes associated with glycolysis, the interferon pathway, complement cascade activity, and heat shock protein family, while the down-regulated genes were related to antigen presentation and processing, T-cell activation, collagen formation, and extracellular matrix. Pathway enrichment analysis conducted between infected groups (lice infection vs. co-infection) resulted in several immune-related significant GO terms and pathways unique to this group, such as “autophagosome”, “cytosolic DNA-sensing pathway” and “response to type I interferons”. Understanding how experimental functional feeds can impact the host response and the trajectory of co-infections will be an essential step in identifying efficacious intervention strategies that account for the complexities of disease in open cage culture.

Occurrence of Chicken Infectious Anemia Virus in Industrial and Backyard Tunisian Broilers: Preliminary Results

Chicken infectious anemia virus (CIAV) is an economically important and widely distributed immunosuppressive agent in chickens. This study performed an epidemiological investigation on CIAV circulation in 195 Tunisian broilers, belonging to 13 lots from five industrial farms and in one rural farm. Fifteen animals were detected positive by a VP1 nested PCR. The amplicons were molecularly characterised by complete genome sequencing. All positive samples obtained in this study were from the rural farm, whereas the industrial farms sampled were negative. Nucleotide and amino acid sequence analyses showed a high degree of similarity among the sequences obtained, suggesting the circulation of a single CIAV strain in the positive lot. Phylogenetic analysis based on the CIAV VP1 nucleotide sequence and/or the complete genome showed that the sequences obtained in this study clustered with CIAV strains previously detected in Tunisia, Italy and Egypt, belonging to genogroup II. Our results highlight the need for constant CIAV surveillance in backyard chicken production.

Modelling Mutation in Equine Infectious Anemia Virus Infection Suggests a Path to Viral Clearance with Repeated Vaccination

Equine Infectious Anemia Virus (EIAV) is a lentivirus similar to HIV that infects horses. Clinical and experimental studies demonstrating immune control of EIAV infection hold promise for efforts to produce an HIV vaccine. Antibody infusions have been shown to block both wild-type and mutant virus infection, but the mutant sometimes escapes. Using these data, we develop a mathematical model that describes the interactions between antibodies and both wild-type and mutant virus populations, in the context of continual virus mutation. The aim of this work is to determine whether repeated vaccinations through antibody infusions can reduce both the wild-type and mutant strains of the virus below one viral particle, and if so, to examine the vaccination period and number of infusions that ensure eradication. The antibody infusions are modelled using impulsive differential equations, a technique that offers insight into repeated vaccination by approximating the time-to-peak by an instantaneous change. We use impulsive theory to determine the maximal vaccination intervals that would be required to reduce the wild-type and mutant virus levels below one particle per horse. We show that seven boosts of the antibody vaccine are sufficient to eradicate both the wild-type and the mutant strains. In the case of a mutant virus infection that is given infusions of antibodies targeting wild-type virus (i.e., simulation of a heterologous infection), seven infusions were likewise sufficient to eradicate infection, based upon the data set. However, if the period between infusions was sufficiently increased, both the wild-type and mutant virus would eventually persist in the form of a periodic orbit. These results suggest a route forward to design antibody-based vaccine strategies to control viruses subject to mutant escape.

Genomic characteristics of a chicken infectious anemia virus strain isolated from contaminated chicken pox attenuated vaccine

Chicken infectious anemia virus (CIAV) can be transmitted by contaminated live vaccines, and causes huge economic losses. This study evaluated the contamination status of CIAV in 24 batches of vaccines by recombinase-aided amplification assay (RAA), fluorescence quantitative PCR and dot blot assay, and then determined a contaminated avian pox attenuated vaccine. The whole genome of the CIAV contaminant was then sequenced and named as JS2020-PFV (Genbank accession number: MW234428, 2296bp). It showed 94.5–99.9% identities with reference strains, and shared the closest evolution relationship with AB1K which was isolated from a chicken farm in Turkey. All these suggested that the use of CIAV contaminated live vaccine may be the reason for its epidemic in poultry.

Source Tracking of Chicken Infectious Anemia Virus in a SPF Chicken Population, the Latest Report in China

BackgroundLive attenuated vaccines have been extensively used to prevent infectious disease in poultry flocks. However, exogenous virus contamination in attenuated vaccines had been reported several times in the past, which brought enormous threat to poultry production and diseases prevention and control. Recently, an attenuated vaccine against Newcastle Disease produced in China was detected contamination with chicken infectious anemia virus (CIAV) in a routine inspection for exogenous virus. To understand the multiple routes of transmission of CIAV, and to better formulate correct prevention and control, it is necessary to find out the possible source of this contamination.Methodslood samples of SPF chickens that generated vaccines were collected to investigate CIAV antibody titers by ELISA test. Then, 14- to 18-day-old SPF chicken embryos (n=40) were randomly selected, DNA was extracted and detected by quantitative real-time PCR and nucleic acid dot hybridization assays. To further investigate the molecular features of the CIAV isolate, the complete genome of CIAV was amplified and analyzed.ResultsThe results showed both SPF chickens and embryos for vaccine preparation were CIAV-positive. In addition, the full-length genome sequences of CIAV from vaccines and SPF chicken embryos were consisted of 2,298 nucleotides (nt) with 100% homology, named as SDSPF2020 (Genbank accession number: MW660821). It demonstrated 95.7%-99.6% homology with the complete nucleotide sequences of reference strains, and shared the closest evolution relationship with the Chinese strain HLJ15125. ConclusionThis study illustrated that vertical transmission of CIAV from SPF chickens and embryos was an important way for exogenous virus contamination in vaccine production. As such, vaccine quality monitoring and health control are significant in the poultry industry from an environmental safety point of view.