Abstract

Chicken Anemia Virus (CAV) infects many bird species worldwide and causes immunosuppression. This condition can facilitate the infection of affected birds with other pathogens including bacteria, viruses, and fungi. No data were available on detection or isolation of CAV from birds in Iraq, therefore this study was designed to detect CAV antibodies in broilers and layers in some poultry farms. Accordingly, 200 samples were collected from broiler and layer farms (100 samples each) from different districts of Diyala province and subjected to the ELISA test. Also, 50 tissue samples from embryonated eggs from different hatcheries, four commercial viral vaccines, and 30 ELISA positive samples were subjected to PCR assay to detect the CAV DNA. The results showed that all of broiler and layer farms sampled were serologically positive for CAV antibodies. The overall seropositivity for CAV antibodies for both chicken breeds was 51.5%. In broilers, 43 out of 100 serum samples were positive for CAV antibodies, whereas 60 out of 100 serum samples from layers were CAV antibody-positive. According to age groups, significant differences were observed among one-week-old broilers (30.2%) compared to other age groups. In layers, the age group of 30 weeks showed a seropositivity rate of 33.3%. Conventional PCR test indicated that all tissue samples collected from suspected birds and embryonated eggs were negative for CAV DNA, but only 2 out of 30 serum samples were PCR positive. It is concluded that CAV is endemic in poultry farms of Iraq and may facilitate the vaccination failure against other viruses.