Detection and Identification of Helicobacter pullorum in Poultry Species in Upper Egypt

This work aimed to detect, identify and study the epidemiology of Helicobacter pullorum in avian species in Upper Egypt. A total of 1800 samples, including cloacal swabs, cecal swabs and livers were collected from chickens, turkeys and ducks in five different governorates in Upper Egypt. Using conventional phenotypic methods for isolation and identification, Helicobacter pullorum could be identified only from chickens with percentage 39.33% and no presence of the organism in turkeys and ducks. Sixteen randomly selected phenotypically identified Helicobacter pullorum isolates were confirmed using PCR assay based on 16S rRNA gene. In conclusion, conventional phenotypic methods for detection and differentiation of Helicobacter pullorum are often hampered by many limitations, while molecular methods, and PCR, in particular, have marked an important step forward in bacterial diagnostics and can provide a sensitive and rapid alternative method for detection and identification and highlights the potential of PCR technology in routine detection and identification of pathogens

Differentiation of Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (IBDV) Strains in Experimentally Infected Chickens

Infectious bursal disease (IBD) is an acute, highly contagious, and immunosuppressive avian disease caused by IBD virus (IBDV). Differentiation of IBDV strains is crucial for effective vaccination programs and epidemiological investigations. In this study, a combination of clinical, histopathological examinations, immunohistochemistry and indirect immunofluorescence techniques were used to differentiate different IBDV strains. Sixty three weeks old chickens were divided randomly into five equal groups. Chickens of four groups were inoculated orally with different strains of IBDV. Chickens of the fifth group were kept as a control. Three chickens per group were euthanized at 3, 7, 14, 21 days post-inoculation (dpi). Euthanized chickens subjected to autopsy and tissue samples were collected in 10% neutral-buffered formalin for histopathology, immunohistochimestry and immunoflrourescence. The results revealed that clinical examination and histopathology cannot be used alone for differentiation of IBDV strains, while immunohistochemical and immunofluorescence techniques are reliable tools for differentiation of IBDV strains