Journal des sciences vétérinaires et du diagnostic médical

Characterization of Infectious Bronchitis Viruses Circulating in Egyptian Chickens during 2012 and 2013

Sultan H, Abdel-Razik AG, Shehata AA, Ibrahim M, Talaat S, Abo-Elkhair M, Bazid AE, Moharam IM and Vahlenkamp T

Characterization of Infectious Bronchitis Viruses Circulating in Egyptian Chickens during 2012 and 2013

Infectious bronchitis (IB) is an economically important, highly contagious and acute upper-respiratory tract disease of chickens. IB continues to be a threat for chicken production in many countries including Egypt, even in vaccinated flocks. In the present study, 70 chicken farms (broiler, layers and broiler breeders) showing respiratory manifestations from 5 governorates were screened for IBV infection by RT-PCR. Twenty farms tested positive to IBV representing 28.5% from the tested farms, all from commercial broilers. The mortalities in the positive flocks ranged from 10% to 40% and the age ranged between 25- and 38-day-old.