Pathogenicity of Duck Adenovirus Type 3 in Chickens

Xiwen Zhang; Bin Xu; Huiqin Zhou; Xiang Zhou; Qingfeng Wang; Jiayu Sun; Kewei Liu; Lisha Zha; Jinchun Li; Yin Dai; Fangfang Chen

doi:10.3390/ani14162284

Animals (Aug 2024)

Pathogenicity of Duck Adenovirus Type 3 in Chickens

Xiwen Zhang,
Bin Xu,
Huiqin Zhou,
Xiang Zhou,
Qingfeng Wang,
Jiayu Sun,
Kewei Liu,
Lisha Zha,
Jinchun Li,
Yin Dai,
Fangfang Chen

Affiliations

Xiwen Zhang: Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pathobiology and Disease Control, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Bin Xu: Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pathobiology and Disease Control, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Huiqin Zhou: Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pathobiology and Disease Control, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Xiang Zhou: Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pathobiology and Disease Control, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Qingfeng Wang: Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pathobiology and Disease Control, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Jiayu Sun: Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pathobiology and Disease Control, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Kewei Liu: Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pathobiology and Disease Control, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Lisha Zha: Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pathobiology and Disease Control, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Jinchun Li: Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pathobiology and Disease Control, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Yin Dai: Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hefei 230036, China
Fangfang Chen: Key Laboratory of Veterinary Pathobiology and Disease Control, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14162284
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 14, no. 16
p. 2284

Abstract

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Duck adenovirus Type 3 (DAdV-3) severely affects the health of ducks; however, its pathogenicity in chickens remains unknown. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the pathogenicity and major pathological changes caused by DAdV-3 in chickens. Viral DNA was extracted from the liver of the Muscovy duck, and the fiber-2 and hexon fragments of DAdV-3 were amplified through polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The evolutionary tree revealed that the isolated virus belonged to DAdV-3, and it was named HE-AN-2022. The mortality rate of chicks that received inoculation with DAdV-3 subcutaneously via the neck was 100%, while the mortality rate for eye–nose drop inoculation was correlated with the numbers of infection, with 26.7% of chicks dying as a result of exposure to multiple infections. The main symptoms exhibited prior to death were hepatitis–hydropericardium syndrome (HHS), ulceration of the glandular stomach, and a swollen bursa with petechial hemorrhages. A histopathological examination revealed swelling, necrosis, lymphocyte infiltration, and basophilic inclusion bodies in multiple organs. Meanwhile, the results of quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) demonstrated that DAdV-3 could affect most of the organs in chickens, with the gizzard, glandular stomach, bursa, spleen, and liver being the most susceptible to infection. The surviving chicks had extremely high antibody levels. After the chickens were infected with DAdV-3 derived from Muscovy ducks, no amino acid mutation was observed in the major mutation regions of the virus, which were ORF19B, ORF66, and ORF67. On the basis of our findings, we concluded that DAdV-3 infection is possible in chickens, and that it causes classic HHS with ulceration of the glandular stomach and a swollen bursa with petechial hemorrhages, leading to high mortality in chickens. The major variation domains did not change in Muscovy ducks or in chickens after infection. This is the first study to report DAdV-3 in chickens, providing a new basis for preventing and controlling this virus.

Published in Animals

ISSN: 2076-2615 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Agriculture: Animal culture: Veterinary medicine; Science: Zoology
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/animals/

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