Serological research on avian reovirus infections in poultry enterprises in Balikesir and Bolu regions

Avian Reoviruses (ARV) are the cause of avian viral arthritis syndrome. In addition they, either by themselves or along with other pathogens, may cause clinical symptoms such as enteric-respiratory diseases, myocarditis, hepatitis, and growth retardation / malabsorbtion syndrome in chickens. In this study, seroepidemiology of ARV infection in broiler and broiler breeder enterprises in Balikesir and Bolu provinces, which are important centers of poultry breeding in Turkey, was investigated. A total 920 serum samples collected from 11 broiler and 6 broiler breederenterprises were tested for ARV antibodies using a commercially available Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) kit (Avian Reovirus Antibody test, BioChek, Gouda, Netherlands). Antibodies were found in all chicken farms; 266 of the 316 (84.18%) samples collected from non-vaccinated broiler chickens and 183 of the 204 (89.70%) samples collected from non-vaccinated broiler breeder chickens were seropositive. Antibody positivity rates were determined as 78% (156/200) and 86.5% (173/200), respectively for broiler and broiler breeders vaccinated against ARV. The differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated chickens in terms of seropositivity rates and antibody titers were found not statistically significant. In summary, ARV infections resulting in decreased productivity and important economical losesin the poultry industry are very common in Balikesir and Bolu provinces of Marmara region. The need for taking protective measures against this infection and determining methods to combat the infection is being emphasized by these results. It is suggested the further researches onvaccine and vaccination programs against ARV infections in this region. Keywords: Avian reovirus, antibody, chicken, broiler, seroprevalans, ELISA