Virological Study about Avipox virus in Local Birds of Iraq

Background Avipox virus considered to be a contagious disease of many types of birds wild and domestic. The current study focused on the isolation of recently common Avipox virus which include fowl pox (FP) and pigeon pox (PP) viruses in Iraq. Materials& methods Isolation of the viruses was done via chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) route of avian embryo inoculation, also used by a chicken fibroblast cell culture of adapting virus to detect of cytopathic effect (CPE). Clinical manifestations of apparently infected birds, which showed a typical pox lesion that appeared in different parts of the face, only cutaneous susceptible parts were interested in current study. Results The isolated viruses were studied which leads to a similar features in the membrane (CAM). Pocks lesion were produced by these isolates approximately 5 mm diameter or less at the (3rd) third and (4th) fourth passage, at the first passages thickening and necrosis of CAM were shown only. Intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies are found on histopathology of CAM and at the infected site. At third and fourth passage concerning cell culture, the chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) inoculated with the virus and showed the characteristic cytopathic effect (CPE) which included aggregation of cells and detachment of the cells from monolayer. Conclusion The main observations were shown which express the typical manifestation of pox viridae on cell culture and embryonated chicken egg.