This document discusses inclusion body hepatitis-hydropericardium syndrome (IBH-HPS), a disease affecting young broiler chickens caused by fowl adenovirus 4. It emerged in Chitwan, Nepal in 2009, causing high mortality. Affected chickens show hydropericardium, hepatitis, and other lesions. The disease spreads rapidly between flocks through oral-fecal transmission. Diagnosis involves identifying characteristic lesions at necropsy and detecting viral inclusions or particles microscopically. Various serological tests can also aid in diagnosis. No treatment is available and prevention relies on biosecurity and vaccination.

1. An overview of InclusionAn overview of Inclusion
body hepatitis-body hepatitis-
hydropericardiumhydropericardium
syndrome (IBH-HPS) andsyndrome (IBH-HPS) and
Emergence of
Hydropericardium
Syndrome in Broilers of
Chitwan Nepal
Dr.Kedar Karki,Dr.Subir SinghDr.Kedar Karki,Dr.Subir Singh
CVL/IAAS,NepalCVL/IAAS,Nepal

2. • IBH/HPS is an acute infectious disease
characterized by typical hydropericardium,
severe anaemia, necrotic hepatitis and high
mortality. In natural outbreaks, the affected
birds may not exhibit any clinical signs
(Jaffery, 1988) except sudden heavy
mortality (Ravikumar et al., 1997). Mortality
rates in various outbreaks range from 15-
60% (Asrani et al., 1997).

3. • Inclusion body hepatitis-hydropericardium
syndrome (IBH-HPS), also known as "litchi
disease", is a common disease of broiler
chicken (Cheema et al., 1989) caused by
fowl adenoviruses of serotype 4. The disease
mostly affects young birds between 3 and 6
weeks of age (Niazi et al., 1989) and
occasionally layer and breeder pullets also.
Rarely the disease has been reported from
older broilers, (Asrani et al., 1997) or in
other species of birds like pigeon (Naeem
and Akram, 1995).

4. • Litchi Heart disease, primarily of broiler
chickens, was first reported in Angara
Goth near Karachi, Pakistan, during 1987
(Khawaja et al., 1988; Gowda and
Satyanarayana, 1994), and it has been
reported to be particularly important in
some countries in Asia and America
(Jaffery, 1988; Shane, 1996; Abe et al.,
1998).

5. • In India, the disease was noticed in
Jammu during April 1994 and by July
1994, it had spread to Punjab (Gowda
and Satyanarayana, 1994).

6. • Hydropericardium syndrome (HPS) in
broiler birds of 3 to 6 weeks of age
was recorded for the first time in
the Haldwani area of Nainital district
(UP) in lndia in November, 1994.(RAVl
KUMAR, RAJESH CHANDRA, S. K.
SHUKLA 1, D. K. AGRAWAL 2 and
MAHESH KUMAR).

7. • Emergence of “Hydropericardium Syndrome” in
Broilers of Chitwan
• In the month of June and July 2009, the
veterinarians of Chitwan have experienced an
emergence of Hydropericardium Syndrome(Singh
Subir 2009) in Broilers. The disease is showing
the high spread rate with high morbidity and
mortality pattern. The disease has been reported
from Navalparashi, Chitwan and Makwanpur.

8. Epidemiological Status:Chitwon
Nepal
• Occurs usually in 3 to 5 wks old broiler
• Mortality is 2 to 5 % daily and morbidity is more than 30 %
• Mostly chicks with identified origin (imported from India)
through different dealers.
• But some Nepalese hatchery sources are also identified.
• The cases recorded at VTH (IAAS) Rampur, NAL, Bharatpur
and by several field veterinarians reveals that the disease
is in increasing trend.
SPORADIC CASES REPORTED IN Central veterinary
Laboratory Kathmandu also

9. Symptoms:
• Sudden onset of mortality, dullness,
huddling together, ruffled feathers
and mucoid/ yellowish dropping

10. Postmortem Findings:
• Fluid in the pericardial sac
• (‘Hydropericardium’), pin point
haemorrhage on pericardium.
• Congestion of lungs.
• Liver and Kidney : Enlarged, pale and
friable.
• Enteritis

11. • FAV-4 is a highly pathogenic virus
(Khawaja et al., 1988) spreading
readily from flock to flock and from
farm to farm (Cowen, 1992),
transmitted horizontally (Aktar, 1995)
by oro-faecal route (Abdul-Aziz and
Hassan, 1995).

12. • The disease may be suspected based on
characteristic gross lesions, with high
mortality, among broiler chicks of 3-6
weeks of age (Ravi Kumar et al., 1997).
A characteristic gross lesion is
hydropericardium, occurring in more
than 90% of the affected birds (Anjum
et al., 1989).

13. • The liver may be pale yellow, swollen,
friable/mottled with large areas of
focal necrotic patches (Ravikumar et
al., 1997). Abdul-Aziz and Hasan
(1995) reported the presence of gross
lesions in liver and kidneys and
microscopic lesions in liver, kidneys,
bursa and spleen.

15. Hydropericardium

16. Hydropericardium

17. Haemorrhage on
pericardium

18. chick with IBH/HPS showing characteristic
hydropericardium and hepatitis.

19. Leechi disease
hydropericardium

20. Leechi disease

22. • Histopathological lesions, particularly
the demonstration of characteristic
basophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies
in hepatocytes, necrotic hepatitis,
oedematous and congested lungs,
interstitial nephritis with urate
deposition and focal haemorrhages in
kidneys help in tentative diagnosis.

23. Liver: Hepatocytes showing basophilic
intranuclear inclusion bodies. (H & E × 400)

24. • The demonstration of adenoviral
particles in the nucleus of infected cells
by transmission electron microscopy
(Chandra et al., 1997) can conclusively
prove the aetiology.

25. • Immunodiagnosis can be performed by employing
serological tests such as gel diffusion, indirect
haemagglutination test, immunoperoxidase and ELISA
(Noor-ul-Hassan et al., 1994; Oberoi et al., 1996;
Nagal et al., 1990; Saifuddin and Wilks, 1991),
which are considered to be specific and reliable.
Group specificity can be confirmed with an immuno-
fluorescence assay (Adair et al., 1980) whereas
neutralization test has been employed to determine
the exact serotype (Grimes and King, 1977; Monreal
et al., 1980).

26. References
1. Indian Journal of Comparative Microbiology, Immunology
and Infectious Diseases
Year : 2003, Volume : 24, Issue : 2:Application of
polymerase chain reaction and fluorescent antibody
technique for the diagnosis of inclusion body hepatitis-
hydropericardium syndrome (IBH-HPS) caused by fowl
adenovirus serotype-4 Rahul,S.,Kataria.J.M.,Kumar.N.
Senthil,Dhama.K.,Dash.B.B.,Uma.R.,Praveen.B.N.
Division of Avian Diseases, Indian Veterinary Research
Institute, Izatnagar - 243122 (U.P.)
2. Emergence of Hydropericardium Syndrome in Broilers of
ChitwanReported by, Dr. Subir Singh General Secretary
Nepal Veterinary Association.E mail:‐
subirsingh@hotmail.com