Late infection by Inclusion body hepatitis (IBH) virus in broiler chickens with special attention to its effect on immune organ indices, blood biochemistry and histopathological changes in some organs‬‬‬

Abstract

In this study, we utilized clinical chemistry, immune organ indices, and histopathological evaluations to investigate the impact of late Inclusion Body Hepatitis (IBH) virus infection on broiler chicks reared under identical field conditions with a standardized vaccination protocol. We designed our experiment as follows: 120 one-day-old broiler chicks were divided into four groups. Groups A and B received identical vaccination programs, while Groups C and D did not receive vaccinations. IBH virus infection was conducted on Groups A and C at 24 days of age. We evaluated various parameters including clinical signs, mortality rates, and histopathological changes in the liver, trachea, kidney, and bursa, alongside IBH virus shedding. Plasma samples were collected at each time point from chicks in each group, and the following clinical chemistry analytes were assessed: aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total protein, albumin, uric acid, and lipase. Our findings indicate that IBH virus infection negatively impacted organ health and blood parameters.