Mild infectious laryngotracheitis in broilers in the southeast

During 2001, a mild infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) infection occurred in broiler flocks in the southeastern United States. Clinical signs included mild tracheitis, swollen sinuses, and conjunctivitis, with no increased mortality and minimal serologic response. Infrequent intranuclear inclusion bodies with or without syncytial cell formation were observed in eyelid, trachea, and larynx and in the chorioallantoic membrane of infected embryos. Immunohistochemistry and a nested infectious laryngotracheitis polymerase chain reaction (ILT PCR) were utilized to confirm the presence of ILTV nucleic acid in fixed tissues. In addition, 2-wk-old specific-pathogen-free (SPF) birds inoculated with field material exhibited the mild signs observed in broilers in the field. Tracheal swabs and tissues taken from these SPF birds were also positive by nested ILT PCR. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of ILT PCR products indicated that ILT virus associated with mild respiratory disease in the southeast is related to the chicken embryo origin vaccine type strains.     

Detection of infectious laryngotracheitis virus in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues by nested polymerase chain reaction

Infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) is routinely diagnosed by histopathologic examination of trachea, eyelid, and lung tissues. Lesions consistent with infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) infection include syncytial cell formation with intranuclear inclusion bodies. These changes are present during the acute phase of infection. To increase the sensitivity of detecting ILT, a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was developed for detection of ILTV DNA. Nested PCR assay was specific for the amplification of ILTV DNA and did not amplify a variety of other avian pathogens. To further validate the ability of this assay to detect ILT, nested PCR was performed in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues from 35 cases of respiratory disease. Of the 35 cases, 12 were considered ILT suspects on the basis of initial clinical observation. Eleven of the 12 ILT-suspect cases were diagnosed as ILT, and the remaining 24 were diagnosed as nonspecific tracheitis (NST) by histopathologic examination. Histopathologically positive samples were confirmed by direct fluorescent antibody test and virus isolation. Of the 11 ILT-positive cases, 10 were positive by nested PCR. In addition, ILTV DNA was detected in 7 of the 24 samples diagnosed as NST upon histopathologic examination. Therefore, by nested PCR, ILTV DNA was detected in tissues independently of the presence of syncytial cells, intranuclear inclusions, or both. ILT nested PCR is a specific and sensitive assay capable of detecting ILT at different stages of infection and can be utilized in combination with histopathological examination to accelerate the diagnosis of ILT infection.     

鸡传染性喉气管炎病毒(江苏株)的分离与初步鉴定

本研究从江苏省某养鸡场采集临床疑似鸡传染性喉气管炎(infectious laryngotracheitis,ILT)的病鸡喉头气管,接种鸡胚绒毛尿囊膜分离病毒,命名为LJS091151。以分离毒人工感染SPF鸡,于攻毒后d3出现了ILT的典型临床症状,剖检亦可见喉头气管黏膜充血肿胀、消化道空虚、黏膜充血等病理变化。根据GenBank发表的鸡传染性喉气管炎病毒(Infectiouslaryngotracheitis virus,ILT)gB、TK基因保守序列设计2对引物对分离株基因组DNA进行扩增和序列测定。序列分析表明,获得的核苷酸序列及其推导的氨基酸序列与GenBank发表的序列相似性均在99%以上,证明了分离株LJS091151为鸡传染性喉气管炎病毒。     

Protection against infectious laryngotracheitis by in ovo vaccination with commercially available viral vector recombinant vaccines

Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) is a highly contagious respiratory disease of chickens caused by infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV). The disease is mainly controlled through biosecurity and by vaccination with live-attenuated vaccines. The chicken embryo origin (CEO) vaccines, although proven to be effective in experimental settings, have limited efficacy in controlling the disease in dense broiler production sites due to unrestricted use and poor mass vaccination coverage. These factors allowed CEO vaccines to regain virulence, causing long lasting and, consequently, severe outbreaks of the disease. A new generation of viral vector fowl poxvirus (FPV) and herpesvirus of turkey (HVT) vaccines carrying ILTV genes has been developed and such vaccines are commercially available. These vaccines are characterized by their lack of transmission, lack of ILTV-associated latent infections, and no reversion to virulence. HVT-vectored ILTV recombinant vaccines were originally approved for subcutaneous HVT or transcutaneous (pox) delivery. The increased incidence of ILTV outbreaks in broiler production sites encouraged the broiler industry to deliver the FPV-LT and HVT-LT recombinant vaccines in ovo. The objective of this study was to evaluate the protection induced by ILTV viral vector recombinant vaccines after in ovo application in 18-day-old commercial broiler embryos. The protection induced by recombinant ILTV vaccines was assessed by their ability to prevent clinical signs and mortality; to reduce challenge virus replication in the trachea; to prevent an increase in body temperature; and to prevent a decrease in body weight gain after challenge. In this study, both recombinant-vectored ILTV vaccines provided partial protection, thereby mitigating the disease, but did not reduce challenge virus loads in the trachea.     

Epidemic of infectious laryngotracheitis in Italy: characterization of virus isolates by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism and sequence analysis

Between May 2007 and October 2008, 34 outbreaks of mild to moderate forms of infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) occurred in commercial broiler flocks in Italy. Affected birds showed watery eyes, conjunctivitis, nasal discharge, reduction of feed and water consumption, and gasping with expectoration of blood-stained mucus. The mortality rate was < 10%. Gross lesions consisted of conjunctivitis, excess of mucus, blood, or presence of diphtheritic membranes in trachea. A real-time PCR assay was performed to confirm the presence of ILT virus (ILTV) DNA in tracheal tissue homogenates. Twenty-three ILTV isolates were propagated on the chorion-allantoic membrane of embryonated chicken eggs showing typical plaques. PCR combined with restriction fragment length polymorphism and gene sequencing of isolates showed a high genetic correlation between field strains and chicken embryo origin vaccines.     

Differences among restriction endonuclease DNA fingerprints of Pennsylvania field isolates, vaccine strains, and challenge strains of infectious laryngotracheitis virus.

Restriction endonuclease fingerprints of infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) DNA from 13 Pennsylvania field isolates, embryo-propagated and tissue-culture-propagated vaccine strains, and three reference strains were compared. These comparisons were made to evaluate the possible contribution of mutation of ILTV vaccine strains to recent outbreaks of infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) in Pennsylvania. Six different restriction enzymes were used to generate the fingerprints. Differences in DNA banding patterns were revealed between the currently used ILTV vaccine strains and six of the 13 field isolates. Even greater DNA banding pattern differences were found between the older ILTV reference strains and the vaccine strains. The ILTV DNA fingerprints generated in the present study suggest that at least five different strains of ILTV have contributed to the outbreaks of ILT that have occurred since 1987 in Pennsylvania.     

Efficacy of live virus vaccines against infectious laryngotracheitis assessed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism

The efficacy of four different commercial live vaccines (vaccines A, B, C, and D) against the infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) was assessed in specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens. SPF chickens were vaccinated intraocularly at 6 wk old with ILTV live vaccines and were challenged intratracheally with the N91B01 strain of virulent Korean ILTV 2 wk after vaccination. The immunity against ILTV live vaccines was assessed by the incidence of latent infection by the challenge virus in the chickens' tracheas and trigeminal ganglia, the reisolation rate of the challenge virus, and the clinical signs in the chickens challenged with the N91B01 strain of ILTV. The latent infection in chickens was assessed by nested polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Our data showed that the clinical signs and challenge virus isolation were negative in all chickens receiving four difference commercial ILTV live vaccines. The viral DNA of the vaccine strain, but not that of the challenge virus, was detected in chickens vaccinated with vaccine A by nested PCR-RFLP. The viral DNAs of both the vaccine and challenge strains were detected from chickens vaccinated with vaccines B, C, and D. This study showed that only vaccine A can protect chickens from latent infection with the field virulent ILTV. We speculate that the efficacy of infectious laryngotracheitis live vaccines to protect chickens from latent infection with virulent ILTVs can be assessed by nested PCR-RFLP analysis.     

Differentiation of infectious laryngotracheitis virus isolates by restriction fragment length polymorphic analysis of polymerase chain reaction products amplified from multiple genes

Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) has been identified in most countries around the world and remains a threat to the intensive poultry industry. Outbreaks of mild to moderate forms of ILT are common in commercial layer flocks, while sporadic outbreaks of ILT in broiler flocks have also been recognized as an emerging problem in several countries. Examination of viral isolates using restriction fragment length polymorphism of polymerase chain reaction (PCR-RFLP) from individual ILTV genes has suggested that some of these outbreaks were caused by vaccine strains. In this study, PCR-RFLP of a number of ILTV genes/genomic regions including gE, gG, TK, ICP4, ICP18.5, and open reading frame (ORF) B-TK was used to examine a number of historical and contemporary Australian ILTV isolates and vaccine strains. PCR-RFLP of gE using restriction endonuclease EaeI failed to distinguish between any of the isolates including the vaccine strains. PCR-RFLP of gG, TK, and ORFB-TK using restriction endonucleases MspI and FokI, respectively, divided all the isolates into two groups. PCR-RFLP of ICP18.5 and ICP4 using restriction endonuclease HaeIII separated the isolates into three different groups with some field isolates only able to be distinguished from vaccine strains by PCR-RFLP of ICP18.5. A combination of groupings including gG, TK, ICP4, ICP18.5, and ORFB-TK PCR-RFLP classified the ILTV isolates under investigation into five different groups with most isolates distinguishable from vaccine strains. Results from this study reveal that to achieve reliable identification of strains of ILTV, the examination of multiple gene regions will be required, and that most of the recent ILT outbreaks in Australia are not being caused by vaccine strains.     

1株鸡传染性喉气管炎病毒的基因组特征与致病性

本研究旨在了解我国鸡传染性喉气管炎病毒(ILTV)流行毒株的分子特性.对1株分离自国内养殖场的鸡传染性喉气管炎病毒毒株BT株进行了部分基因序列(TK、ICP4、gB、UL32)测定分析,并研究了其对2周龄SPF鸡的致病性.遗传进化分析表明,BT株核苷酸序列与国内其他流行毒株相似性在97％以上,属于同一进化分支,未出现较...     

宿主细胞粘附相关基因表达与鸡传染性喉气管炎病毒组织嗜性相关性的研究

为探究宿主细胞粘附相关基因与鸡传染性喉气管炎病毒(ILTV)感染组织嗜性的相关性,本研究采用ILTV特异性定量PCR方法检测了ILTV NP-3毒株感染雏鸡后ILTV在不同组织中的分布情况,并通过RT-qPCR方法在转录水平上检测了攻毒后不同组织中细胞粘附相关基因CDH11、NEGR1和VCAN的转录水平。结果显示,ILTV感染雏鸡后在喉头、气管、哈德氏腺及骨髓中病毒载量相对较高,而在法氏囊、脾脏、胸腺和肝脏中呈阴性。同时,ILTV感染显著促进了细胞粘附相关基因CDH11、NEGR1和VCAN在组织中的表达,且与ILTV在相应组织中的分布呈显著相关性(P<0.05),表明宿主细胞粘附活性对ILTV组织嗜性具有重要作用,具体机制有待进一步研究。本研究探索了ILTV感染组织嗜性与细胞粘附分子间的关系,以期为新型免疫制剂的研制奠定了基础。     

Detection of infectious laryngotracheitis virus infected cells with cloned DNA probes.

A genomic library of infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) DNA BamH1 fragments was prepared and two cloned fragments were evaluated for their potential as probes for the detection of ILTV infected cells. The virus was purified by a modified sucrose density gradient procedure for the isolation of pure ILTV DNA. A genomic library was constructed using BamH1-digested ILTV DNA and pGEM7 as a vector. A 1.1 kb cloned BamH1 fragment of ILTV DNA was tested in a slot or dot blot assay for the detection of ILTV infected cells. The limit of detection for this probe was at least 0.12 ng of pure ILTV DNA. The probe was able to identify both chicken embryo liver (CELi) cells and choriallantoic membranes infected with ILTV. Chicken embryo liver cells infected with several field isolates and a vaccine strain of ILTV were positive by dot blot analysis using this probe. Some qualitative differences in the degree of hybridization to cells infected by different ILTV isolates were observed. Uninfected cells and cells infected with fowlpox virus, turkey herpesvirus, Marek's disease virus or Newcastle disease virus were negative by the same assay. Compared with the 1.1 kb fragment, a larger 6 kb cloned BamH1 fragment of ILTV DNA showed a stronger hybridization signal to DNA from ILTV infected cells.     

鸡传染性喉气管炎病毒可视化LAMP快速诊断方法的建立和应用

试验旨在建立简易、快速、高效的鸡传染性喉气管炎病毒(infectious laryngotracheitis virus,ILTV)检测和诊断方法。根据GenBank上公布的ILTV TK基因序列,设计检测ILTV的特异性环介导的等温扩增(loop media-ted isothermal amplification,LAMP)技术反应引物,通过对LAMP反应体系和反应条件的优化,以及特异性、敏感性和临床样品的检测,建立了ILTV LAMP检测方法。结果显示,以内引物ILT9-FIP和ILT9-BIP、外引物ILT9-F3和ILT9-B3、环引物ILT9-LB和ILT9-LF为LAMP反应引物,反应温度为66℃时,所建立的LAMP检测方法反应效率最高;所建立的LAMP检测方法能够特异性地检测ILTV(匈牙利株和王岗株),不与新城疫病毒(NDV,B株)、鸡传染性支气管炎病毒(IBV,H52株和H120株)、大肠杆菌、鸡副嗜血杆菌、巴氏杆菌等发生交叉反应,且能够检测到的病毒最低浓度达到0.06pg/μL,其灵敏度是普通PCR方法的100倍;采用建立LAMP方法对50个临床样本进行检测,阳性率为14%,且与PCR检测结果的符合率达96%。本研究建立了特异性强、灵敏度高、操作简单的LAMP检测方法,适用于临床上ILTV的快速检测和诊断。     

Gallid-1 herpesvirus infection in the chicken. 3. Reinvestigation of the pathogenesis of infectious laryngotracheitis in acute and early post-acute respiratory disease

Specific-pathogen-free chickens were infected via the trachea when 4 weeks old with 2000 plaque-forming units (PFU) of the virulent Australian infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) virus strain CSW-1. Titers of ILT virus in the trachea were greatest (10(7.0) PFU/ml in washings, 10(6.0) PFU/g of tissue) 2-4 days postinfection (PI). Infectivity then declined rapidly, to become undetectable by 7 days PI, although highly localized areas of ILT antigen in the tracheal epithelium were occasionally observed by fluorescent antibody staining at 7 and 8 days PI. Tracheal organ cultures established 7 and 8 days PI provided no evidence of latent ILT virus infection at this immediate post-acute stage of pathogenesis. ILT virus was not isolated from peripheral blood leukocytes or lymphoid organs (spleen, bursa, thymus). ILT virus was found in the trigeminal ganglia and/or brain in 14 of 36 chickens (40%) examined between 4 and 7 days after intratracheal inoculation, but it was not in these tissues in five chickens examined at 8 days PI. Virus was also detected at 6 days PI in the trigeminal ganglia in one of five chickens infected by the conjunctival route. These data indicate that the early pathogenesis of ILT (CSW-1) infection frequently involves the tissues of the nervous system. In acute ILT in 4-week-old chickens, interferon-alpha/beta activity was not detectable in serum or tracheal exudates within 14 days PI, but tracheal washings contained significant virus-neutralizing activity by 7 and 8 days PI. In 3-day-old chickens infected via the trachea with 200 PFU of ILT CSW-1, the clearance of ILT virus from the trachea was similar to that observed in 4-week-old chickens, but ILT virus spread systemically to the livers of 20% by 5-7 days PI.     

鸡传染性喉气管炎病毒单克隆抗体的特性和应用

应用鸡传染性喉气管炎病毒（ＩＬＴＶ）作免疫原建立８株分泌抗ＩＬＴＶ单克隆抗体（ＭｃＡｂ）的杂交瘤细胞株。这８个ＭｃＡｂ均具有ＦＡ特性、没有中和病毒能力，它们分别属于ｌｇＧ２ａ、ｌｇＧ３和ｌｇＭ。应用异硫氰酸荧光素（ＦＩＴＣ）标记ＭｃＡｂ，建立直接荧光抗体试验（ＤＦＡ），检测ＩＬＴＶ抗原与分离病毒，其符合率为９２．８％。ＤＦＡ具有准确、快速、方便等特点。     

鸡传染性喉气管炎病毒PCR诊断方法的建立与应用

根据GenBank登录的传染性喉气管炎病毒(ILTV)的TK基因序列设计并合成1对特异性引物,以ILTV疫苗株DNA为模板,建立了检测ILTV TK基因的PCR方法。应用该方法能从临床分离毒株和疫苗株中扩增到长为427 bp的目的片段;但不能从新城疫病毒(NDV)、传染性法氏囊病毒(IBDV)、禽呼肠孤病毒(ARV)、减蛋综合征病毒(EDSV)、H9亚型禽流感病毒(H9-AIV)、传染性支气管炎病毒(IBV)、大肠杆菌以及金黄色葡萄球菌等病原中扩增出阳性条带;敏感性试验表明其DNA最小检出量为4.9 ng;应用该方法和病毒分离法对2份临床病例和人工感染鸡的检测,两者符合率为100%。上述结果表明该PCR方法具有良好的特异性和敏感性,可用于传染性喉气管炎病毒鉴定和临床诊断。     

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.     

Replication and transmission of live attenuated infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) vaccines

The aim of this study was to evaluate the replication of live attenuated infectious laryngotracheitis virus vaccines in selected tissues and their ability to transmit to contact-exposed birds. Four-week-old specific-pathogen-free chickens were eye drop-inoculated with tissue culture origin (TCO) and chicken embryo origin (CEO) vaccines. Contact-exposed chickens were housed in direct contact with eye drop-inoculated chickens from the first day postinoculation. Virus isolation and real-time polymerase chain reaction were used to detect the presence of live virus and viral DNA, respectively, in the trachea, trigeminal ganglia, eye conjunctiva, cecal tonsils, and cloaca from eye drop-inoculated and contact-exposed birds at days 2, 4, 5 to 10, 14, 18, 21, 24, and 28 postinoculation. No differences were observed in the ability of the TCO and CEO vaccines to replicate in the examined tissues. Both vaccines presented a localized replication in the eye conjunctiva and the trachea. Both vaccines were capable of transmitting to contact-exposed birds, attaining peaks of viral DNA as elevated as those observed in inoculated birds. The CEO vaccine replicated faster and reached higher viral genome copy number than the TCO vaccine in the conjunctiva and trachea of eye drop-inoculated and contact-exposed birds. The viral DNA from both vaccines migrated to the trigeminal ganglia during early stages of infection. Although the CEO and TCO vaccines were not recovered from the cecal tonsils and the cloaca, low levels of viral DNA were detected at these sites during the peak of viral replication in the upper respiratory tract.     

Optimization of a duplex real-time PCR method for relative quantitation of infectious laryngotracheitis virus

Infectious laryngotracheitis is a highly contagious respiratory disease of chickens controlled by biosecurity and vaccination with live attenuated or recombinant vaccines. Infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) infections are characterized by a peak of viral replication in the trachea followed by a steady decrease in replication that results in the establishment of latency. Estimation of viral load is an important tool to determine the stage of ILTV infection. Here, a multiplex real-time PCR was optimized for the quantification of ILTV genomes. Quantification of viral genomes was based on the amplification of the ILTV UL44 gene, and sample variability was normalized using the chicken (Gallusgallus domesticus) alpha2-collagen gene as an endogenous control in a duplex reaction.     

Evaluation of the efficacy of a live fowlpox-vectored infectious laryngotracheitis/avian encephalomyelitis vaccine against ILT viral challenge

Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) is caused by an alphaherpesvirus, and latency can be produced by previous exposure to vaccine virus. The main sites of latency for the ILT virus have been shown to be the trigeminal ganglion and the trachea. Reactivation of latent virus is one factor related to the production of clinical signs. The development of a genetically engineered ILT vaccine has been suggested for many years as a tool to eliminate viral latency. Several approaches have been suggested. Included among them is the development of a thymidine kinase-deficient mutant or the insertion of ILT viral glycoproteins into a viral vector such as a poxvirus. A commercially available, live, fowlpox-vectored infectious laryngotracheitis + avian encephalomyelitis (FP-LT+AE) vaccine was used in field trials in leghorn pullet flocks and evaluated by tracheal challenge in a laboratory setting with the use of the National Veterinary Services Laboratory (Ames, IA) ILT challenge virus. Interference of the pigeon pox vaccine, which is often administered concurrently with fowlpox vaccine, was also evaluated when given in conjunction with the FP-LT+AE vaccine. Overall, the results indicate that the FP-LT+AE vaccine provides adequate protection against ILT viral challenge. Proper administration is essential. In one flock, inadequate protection was most likely a result of either poor vaccine administration or previous exposure to pox virus. In addition, the simultaneous administration of pigeon pox vaccine did not appear to interfere with protection against ILT viral challenge.