Epidemic of cutaneous fowlpox in a naive population of chickens and turkeys in Austria: Detailed phylogenetic analysis indicates co-evolution of fowlpox virus with reticuloendotheliosis virus.

ABSTRACT: Cutaneous fowlpox is a disease of chickens and turkeys caused by the fowlpox virus (FWPV), characterized by the development of proliferative lesions and scabs on unfeathered areas. FWPVs regularly carry an integrated, active copy of the reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV), and it has been hypothesized that such FWPVs are more problematic in the field. Extensive outbreaks are usually observed in tropical and sub-tropical climates, where biting insects are more difficult to control. Here, we report an epidemic of 65 cutaneous fowlpox cases in Austria in layer chickens (91% of the cases) and broiler breeders and turkeys, all of them unvaccinated against the disease, from October 2018 to February 2020. The field data revealed appearance in flocks of different sizes ranging from less than 5000 bi

SUBMITTER: Matos M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9787674 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature