INFECTIOUS BRONCHITIS

INFECTIOUS BRONCHITIS
Acute, highly contagious, viral disease which causes high morbidity
and respiratory signs in young chicks (30-40%) and in adult
layers and breeder birds mainly uro-genital and reproductive
signs are noted.

Respiratory system; Mild to severe respiratory discomfort along

with Gasping, Coughing, Sneezing and Tracheal rales

Uro-genital system; Nephritis and urolithiasis

Reproductive system; Drastic drop in egg production &

deterioration in egg quality & shell strength in laying flocks

HOSTS; Chicken, Pheasants are natural hosts (all ages of birds are
susceptible)
HISTORY

 1930 ----- Firstly observed in North Dakota

(U.S.A.) as respiratory disease of young
chicks
 1940s ---- Egg production declines in laying
flock was reported to be associated with IB
 1960s -----Kidney lesions in IB were reported
 The disease is seen in the northern areas of
Pakistan
ETIOLOGY

 Infectious bronchitis virus

 Family: Coronaviridae
 Genus: Coronavirus
 Characteristics:
 RNA virus
 Enveloped
 Does not hemagglutinate erythrocytes
 Corona virus have a high mutation rate
 Many serotypes (and subtypes) of IB virus exist
 Sensitive to common disinfectants
 Three major virus specific proteins; Spike(S), Membrane
glycoprotein (M) & Internal nucleoprotein (N)
 Strain classification is based on Spike(S) protein
Serotypes:

 Massachusetts & Connecticut shows affinity for

respiratory system. The principal site for replication of
IB virus is the ciliated epithelium of respiratory tract.
Massachusetts strain is used for immunization
purpose.
 Arkansas 99 and O72, T, Gray, Australian &
Holte shows affinity for kidney tissues i.e,
Nephrotropic, cause permanent damage to kidneys.
 European strains like D-207, D-212, D-41 are
associated with drop in egg production.
Factor affecting the susceptibility of
disease

 the virulence of the virus

 the age of the bird
 prior vaccination
 maternal immunity (young birds)
 complicating infections (Mycoplasma, E.
coli, Newcastle disease)
TRANSMISSION

Sick bird excretes virus through

 Respiratory secretions

 Faeces

Horizontal
 Aerosol

 Faecal contamination

 Carrier birds & shedders

 Contamination of personal or equipment

Vertical: Not reported

CLINICAL SIGNS

 Characteristic respiratory signs in chicks (up to 6 weeks)

 Gasping, coughing, sneezing, tracheal rales (Abnormal
respiratory sounds) & nasal discharge
 Depressed, huddled under the heat source (weakness)
 Decreased feed consumption & weight gain
 Watery droppings causing Wet litter
 In laying flock, drastic decline in egg production (30-40%) &
egg quality
 Hatchability decreases
 Misshapen & rough shelled eggs
 Thin & watery albumin with running yolk
 Small hemorrhages may be seen in the albumin or yolk
 Pullets exposed to IB virus cause permanent damage to their
fallopian tubes & continue to lay misshapen eggs
PATHOGENESIS

 Virus can replicate in tissues of respiratory

tract, intestinal tract, kidneys and oviduct.
 Replication occurs in cytoplasm.
 Virion formation occurs by budding process at
the membranes of the endoplasmic reticulum,
not at the cell surface.
 Virion accumulate in smooth vesicles, but the
mechanism for their release from the cell is
unknown.
 After a brief viraemia, the virus can be
detected in the kidneys, reproductive tract,
and caecal tonsils.
GROSS LESIONS

 Mild to moderate inflammation of upper respiratory tract

 Serous, catarrhal or caseous exudate in the trachea, nasal
passages & sinuses
 Air sacs may appear cloudy. Abdominal air sacs contain a yellow
caseous exudate (seen in complicated cases)
 Some times caseous plug in the lower trachea or bronchi of
dead birds
 Nephritis and urolithiasis
 Kidneys covered with urates deposits, pale (chronic), mottled,
and can be 2 to 3 times their normal size
 Middle third of the oviduct is most severely affected, permanent
damage to the developing oviduct which cause 20% loss of
laying birds
 Oviducts may be hypoplastic or cystic, birds deposit yolk and
fully formed eggs in abdominal cavity as ova are not taken up
by badly formed oviduct and are called internal or blind layers
DIAGNOSIS

 Clinical history & gross lesions

 Isolation & identification of the causative organism
 Site for sample collection
Trachea, lungs, airsacs, caecal tonsils, kidneys, oviduct
 Serology
 ELISA (rapid and most sensitive)---general monitoring

 HI (simple and sensitive)---identify serotype

 Immunodiffusion (simple but less sensitive)

 Virus neutralization (too costly for routine diagnosis)

 Direct immunofluoresence and electron microscopy

(detect virus in tracheal smears) but no serotypes

 Sero-typing can be done by various antibody methods

using monoclonal antibodies

 RT-PCR & nested PCR is used with specific primers to detect the
genome of the virus in tracheal samples & to identify IB viral
serotypes
DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS

 ND: Nervous signs are observed; drop in egg

production in laying flocks is greater than IB
 ILT: It spreads more slowly & respiratory
signs may be more severe than IB
 EDS: Internal egg quality is not affected in
EDS and soft shell eggs seen
 CONTROL

 Strict biosecurity
 Proper disinfection & cleaning of poultry
house
 Immunization
 Live vaccine for broilers (5th day) & for initial
vaccination in breeders and layers. Vaccine
serotypes should be right. Given by sprays or
drinking water
 Killed or Inactivated oil-emulsion vaccines are
used at point of lay in layers and breeders round
14- 18 weeks of age
 Selection of vaccine should be based on
knowledge of the prevalent serotype(s) on the
premises
Young chicken showing
respiratory signs-Gasping
Young chicken showing
respiratory signs
MISSHAPEN EGGS
ROUGH SHELLED(Left)
WATERY ALBUMIN & RUNNIG
YOLK
 The watery albumin is a result of the IB
virus destroying the endometrial mucin
secreting cells in the magnum of the
oviduct.
WATERY ALBUMIN (Left)
Abdominal airsac containing yellowish
caseous exudate if complicated with MG
infection
Swollen kidneys and ureters
containing urolith deposits (uric
acid crystals)
SWOLLEN PALE KIDNEYS
MISSHAPEN & THIN SHELLED
EGGS
Comparison of normal eggs (above, left) with shell-less
eggs EDS (above, right), rough-shelled egg (centre),
and misshapen eggs (bottom) laid by hens during an
outbreak of IB
MISSHAPEN EGG
Degenerated ovary showing atrophic
and haemorrhagic follicles