Chicken ß-defensin-1 peptide as a candidate anticoccidial agent in broiler chickens.

The current study aimed to investigate the potentiality of using avian ß-defensin-1 peptide as a candidate agent against coccidiosis infection in broiler chicken.We employed an in-silico analysis to study the primary structure of ß-defensin-1 peptide as well as its 3-D and molecular dynamic structures. This will also enable obtaining adequate information about the mode of action of these peptides and the intra-cellular transduction pathways. The results revealed no significant difference among groups of broiler chicken in terms of body weight before the Eimeria challenge.The results of our study indicated a significant reduction in oocyst count in birds administered ß-defensin-1 peptide treatment, vis-a-vis healthy birds. The treated group showed a 2-3 times reduction in oocyst count, compared to the positive control group. The Eimeria oocysts count evaluated for birds administered with ß-defensin-1 after the Eimeria challenge showed a significant difference. The study indicated significant reduction and down-regulation in the level of expression of ß-defensin 1 and 4 in the control and treatment groups.This electrostatic profile and hydrophobicity regulate the functioning of this peptide. The results may help in the development of novel approaches that could be used as alternatives or adjunct to the existing means of coccidiosis control in broilers.

ISOLATION AND MOLECULAR IDENTIFICATION OF IBV ISOLATES IN DIFFERENT GOVERNORATES IN EGYPT.

Tracheal swabs and different organs are collected from 17 chicken farms showing respiratory signs and variable mortalities in different governorates. Three successive blind serial passages were performed. Four IBV isolates are detected in vaccinated chickens by RT-PCR and are identified by sequence and phylogenetic analysis of portion of Si gene. Two IBV isolates, IBV S40 and IBV S61 are related to Mass reference strains (Egypt/F/03, M41, H120, Ma5, and M52). However, IBV S78 and IBV S82 are related to Egyptian variant 2 IBV strains Ck/Eg/BSU-2/2011 and Ck/Eg/ BSU-3/201 1.These results indicate the continuous evolution of Egyptian IBV circulating in chickens despite vaccination using H120 live attenuated vaccine.