ARS | Publication request: Enteric viruses of poultry

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: June 20, 2012
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Despite the economic importance of the poultry gut, very little is known about the complex gut microbial community. Enteric disease syndromes such as Runting-Stunting Syndrome (RSS) in broiler chickens and Poult Enteritis Complex (PEC) in young turkeys are difficult to characterize and reproduce in the laboratory. Matters are complicated by the fact that these syndromes are often referred to as “non-specific enteric disease” in the field, which makes a detailed diagnosis difficult. Downstream management decisions are also affected by our lack of knowledge regarding the viruses in the poultry gut. Advances in the application of rapid molecular diagnostics and the advent of the next-generation of nucleic acid sequencing have allowed researchers to begin to decipher the microbial community in complex environmental samples. Recent progress has allowed the placing of names to some of the unknown and un-described “small, round viruses” in the poultry gut, including descriptions of parvoviruses, picornaviruses, picobirnavirus, and calicivirus. Investigation into the novel avian astroviruses continues, and recent progress has been made in the molecular characterization of the avian rotaviruses. This presentation is meant to be an overview of the state of knowledge of the poultry enteric disease syndromes and of the recent advances in understanding the etiology of enteric disease.