Isolation of a reovirus from a broiler chicken flock with high early mortality

Authors: Fu ZF, Rice M, Saifuddin M, Wilks CR, Christensen NH
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 37, Issue 1, pp 12-14, Mar 1989
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Avian, Poultry, Production animal
Subject Terms: Mortality/morbidity, Viral, Disease/defect, Infectious disease, Respiratory system
Article class: Scientific Article

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Abstract: A reovirus was isolated from a flock of 12,000 broiler chickens which experienced a total mortality of 6.3% up to 35 days. The reovirus produced large syncytia in primary chicken kidney cell cultures with eosinophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion body formation. Infected cells reacted with fluorescein conjugated specific anti-reovirus serum. Negatively strained virions had a double shelled appearance with overall diameter of 65 to 70 nm. The nucleic acid had ten discrete segments with electrophoretic mobilities as would be expected for a reovirus.

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