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Molecular and pathological characterization of natural co-infection of poultry farms with the recently emerged Leucocytozoon caulleryi and chicken anemia virus in Egypt

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Abstract

In the summers of 2018 and 2019, a disease outbreak stroke 25 broiler chicken farms and 3 broiler breeder farms in different Governorates in Egypt. The disease caused a mortality rate ranging from 3.2 to 9%. Postmortem examination showed petechial hemorrhage in the breast and thigh muscles, thymus gland, and peritoneal cavity and extensive hemorrhages in the kidneys. A total of 140 liver, kidney, lung, skeletal muscles, thymus, and spleen samples were collected. Twenty-eight pooled samples were created and examined by PCR and histopathological examination to identify the causative pathogens. All collected samples were PCR-negative to Newcastle disease virus (NDV), avian influenza viruses (H5, H9, and H7), infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), and fowl adenovirus (FadV). Leucocytozoon caulleryi (L. caulleryi) genetic material was identified by PCR in 17 out of the 28 collected samples (61%). Five chicken farms (18%) showed positive PCR results for both L. caulleryi and chicken anemia virus (CAV). Histopathological examination revealed unilocular megaloschizonts in thymus, skeletal muscle, and lung as well as massive hemorrhages in parenchymatous organs. Nucleotide sequences of the identified pathogens were compared with other reference sequences available in the GenBank. The identified L. caulleryi has a close relationship with those previously detected in Asia, indicating potential transmission route of the parasite. The CAV has a close genetic relation with CAVs previously identified in Egypt. Furthermore, a real-time PCR for rapid, specific, and quasiquantitative detection of L. caulleryi was developed with a detection limit of 100 genome copies per reaction.

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Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Poultry Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt

    Kamel I. Abou EL-Azm

  2. Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt

    Mohamed F. Hamed

  3. Researcher of Poultry Diseases, Reference Laboratory of Quality Control of Poultry Production (Gamasa), Animal Health Research Institute, Giza, Egypt

    Ahmed Matter

  4. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA

    Tomasz Rozmyslowicz & Glen N. Gaulton

  5. Department of Virology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, 35516, Egypt

    Sahar Abd El Rahman & Mohamed El-Tholoth

  6. Department of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Haim H. Bau

  7. Health Sciences Division, Veterinary Sciences Program, Al Ain Men’s Campus, Higher Colleges of Technology, 17155, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates

    Mohamed El-Tholoth

Authors
  1. Kamel I. Abou EL-Azm
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  2. Mohamed F. Hamed
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  3. Ahmed Matter
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  4. Tomasz Rozmyslowicz
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  5. Sahar Abd El Rahman
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  6. Glen N. Gaulton
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  8. Mohamed El-Tholoth
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Contributions

KIA-E, designed the study, methodology, analyzed the data, and wrote the paper. MFH, contributed to pathological examination of the collected samples and data analysis. AM, contributed to methodology and analyzed the data. TR, GNG, and SAE, contributed to molecular characterization of the collected samples. HHB, provided critical feedback on the manuscript. MET, designed the study, methodology, analyzed the data, wrote the paper, and supervised the research project. All authors revised the final manuscript before submission.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mohamed El-Tholoth.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval

Collection of samples from chickens were done according to the ethical guidelines of University Mansoura and The ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments) guidelines. All experiments were conducted in compliance with the instructions stipulated by Ethical Committee for Medical Research at Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt and in accordance with local laws and regulations.

Consent to participate

Chicken farm owners were aware of the objectives of this work and gave oral consent in harmony with the national ethical regulations.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

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EL-Azm, K.I.A., Hamed, M.F., Matter, A. et al. Molecular and pathological characterization of natural co-infection of poultry farms with the recently emerged Leucocytozoon caulleryi and chicken anemia virus in Egypt. Trop Anim Health Prod 54, 91 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-022-03097-8

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