Infectious tenosynovitis in broilers and broiler breeders in Egypt.

Two infectious tenosynovitis-producing viruses were isolated from tendon sheaths and synovial fluids of 59 broilers and 15 broiler breeders obtained from different flocks in Egypt during June to October 1983. The viruses grew well on the chorioallantoic membrane of developing chicken embryos, produced small localized white pock lesions with oedematous swellings at the inoculation sites and death of most of the embryos 72 to 96 hours post-inoculation. They also induced cytopathic effect in chicken embryo rough, Vero and MS cell lines. The viruses were neutralized by reovirus S1133 antiserum, both in tissue culture and on the chorioallantoic membrane. Inoculation of the viruses into 2-day-old broiler chicks via the foot pad, intramuscular and oral routes reproduced the disease with the development of characteristic clinical, pathological and serological responses. The infection was transmitted to in-contact control chicks. This is the first report of the disease and of the isolation and identification of the causative virus in Eqypt.

Avian infectious laryngo-tracheitis in Egypt. I. Epidemiology, virus isolation and identification.

Serious outbreaks of haemorrhagic tracheitis in poultry induced by infectious laryngo-tracheitis virus (ILTV) have been recorded in Egypt for the first time. The disease occurred in different localities during late 1982 and early 1983. The associated drop in egg production ranged between 5% and 35% and there was a mortality rate which ranged from 0.05% to 19.8%. The causal virus was isolated on the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of developing chicken embryos where it induced large yellowish-white pock lesions, 3-4 mm in diameter, by the fifth or sixth day post-inoculation. It was non-lethal to the inoculated embryos. It grew also with cytopathic effect (CPE) on the CER cell line. The CPE was characterized by syncytial formation and intranuclear inclusions. Chickens experimentally inoculated with the virus developed respiratory signs and 14 of 20 birds died with subsequent virus re-isolation. The isolated virus was unable to agglutinate chicken red cells and it was precipitated and partially neutralized by reference serum to ILTV. Viral antigen was detected by the indirect fluorescent antibody technique in tracheal smears obtained from naturally and experimentally infected birds. This is the first report of the isolation of ILTV in Egypt.