Effects of experimental infection of fowl with EDS'76 virus,infectious bronchitis virus and/or fowl adenovirus on laying performance

Following BCI4 (EDS'76) virus infection of brown layer hens at 33 weeks of age, production of normally shelled eggs dropped from 87 per cent to 49 per cent within 3 weeks. The production of soft shelled and shell‐less eggs attained a maximum of 33 per cent 3 weeks after infection (p.i.). Shell quality recovered completely within 5 weeks p.i.

Egg production problems in White Leghorns infected with BCI4 virus were less severe and of shorter duration than in brown layers.

Both in brown layers and in White Leghorns total egg production, mean weight of normally shelled eggs, and internal egg quality were not affected following BCI 4 virus infection at 33 and 28 weeks of age, respectively. Besides shell abnormalities no clinical disease symptoms were observed. Vaccination with a commercial EDS'76 vaccine (Nobivac EDS'76^®) at 17 weeks of age had no adverse effects on laying performance and provoked adequate immunity against challenge at 33 weeks of age. The same observations were made following BCI4 virus infection at 17 weeks of age.

After infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) (H52 virus) infection of laying fowl the percentage of eggs with shell aberrations (rough, misshapen and/ or soft shells) increased to a maximum of 8 per cent, total egg production was depressed, mean egg weight was reduced I to 2 grams, and up to 10 Per cent of normally shelled eggs showed watery, not ropy thin albumen. This abnormally thin albumen was observed in a considerably higher proportion of eggs with shell defects than in normally shelled eggs. No turbidity of the thick albumen was observed and no symptoms of respiratory disease were noticed.

The severity and duration of adverse effects of IBV infection on laying performance depend very much on the stage of production in which the infection occurs. Following IBV infection at the onset of production a much severer drop in total production and in production of normally shelled eggs, a greater increase in the number of abnormally shelled eggs, and more lasting adverse effects on egg weight and internal egg quality were observed, in comparison with infection after peak production. Compared with single infections, a combined BC14 virus and IBV infection of brown layers at 33 weeks of age resulted in greatly potentiated adverse effects on total egg production, number of eggs with aberrant internal quality, and duration of production problems.

Following a combined BC14 virus and IBV infection, in a great proportion of eggs with shell defects and watery thin albumen, turbidity of the thick albumen was observed also, probably due to combined effects on the uterus of both IBV and BC14 virus.

BC14 virus infection did not reinforce the adverse influence of IBV infection on egg weight.

The same observations as described for the combined BC14 virus and IBV infection were made following BC14 virus infection of fowl previously infected with IBV.

It is concluded that changes of internal egg quality in field cases of EDS'76 are most likely due to subclinical IBV infections.

After infection of brown layers at 33 weeks of age with fowl adenovirus 66 (FA V 66) neither symptoms of clinical disease were observed nor effects on egg production, egg weight, and egg quality. Also, in a combined infection with FA V66, IBV, and BCI4 virus, no pathogenic significance could be attributed to the FAV.