This document summarizes a report of a reovirus infection in a broiler farm with 70,000 chickens. Lameness and inability to stand were observed in the chickens, especially males. Testing found high antibody levels against reovirus and Staphylococcus aureus was detected in the hock joints. Necropsy revealed swollen leg muscles and tendon damage. Molecular testing identified reovirus in the joints of 35-day old chickens and in the intestines and pancreas of younger chickens. The infection occurred despite the breeders being vaccinated twice for reovirus, suggesting current vaccines may not fully prevent farm outbreaks of reovirus.

1. Report of reovirus infection in broilers farm from vaccinated breeder
Mansoor mayahi1
, soroush khademian2
, hosein hoseini3
1
professor of health and diseases of poultry faculty of veterinary medicine shahid chamran university
of ahwaz, iran
2
DVM.DVSc candidate of health and diseases of poultry faculty of veterinary medicine shahid
chamran university of ahwaz, iran
3
professor assistant of faculty of veterinary medicine Islamic azad university
Dr.s.khademian@gmail.com
Phone:00989122474495
Abstract
At broiler farm with 70000 capacity lamness and recumbency pronounced in chiks. Morbidity
increased with raising the chiks but mortality was normal. At the farm chiks rearing as male and
female and lamness observed more at males. At 30days, 30 serum samples sent to labrotary to
assessment antibody against reovirus with indirect elisa synchronous sampling again for detecting
bacteria agent from joint. Result of elisa was mean titre 8038 with 22%cv in biochek kit. Also
staphylocucus aureus detected from hock joint that was predictable in consideration of stress on joints
from first week.
necropsy reveal no sign of infection but gasterocnemius was swollen and rupture was seen. at
palpation the hocks feels warm. perceive a greenish discoloration of the skin due to extravasation of
blood. Condyle and epicondyle involved. Presumptive diagnosis was on reovirus and to confirm the
cause of disease 30 birds from different ages sent for molecular identification on tendon and
gastrointestinal tract.
Presence of reovirus was positive just on joint tendone of 35 days chiks with RT-PCR. At 15 days
chiks presence of reovirus was positive in the intestine and at 7days chiks both intestine and pancreas
were positive with RT-PCR. Studies show that chiks were from vaccinated breeder that vaccinated
with killed reovirus vaccine two times at 10 and 18 weeks and humoral antibody detected at indirect-
ELISA was 10000. According to the results from poultry farms prevalence of lamness although
vaccination with live and killed vaccine perform at breeder farms will show this hypothese about the
insufficiency the current vaccinse to make protection agains prevalence of reovirus that affected the
farms.
Key words: Reovirus, Identification, Broiler, Elisa, RT-PCR