02.07.2012

Isabella Monne et al (2012) Influenza and other respiratory viruses

Researchers have identified H9N2 avian influenza in commercial broiler chickens for the first time in Egypt. The researchers verified H9N2 by RT-PCR in cloacal, nasopharyngeal, or organ samples collected from poultry on six broiler farms and a broiler breeder farm in Giza, Beheira, Dakahlia, and Sharkia governorates from February 2010 to August 2011. The affected poultry showed respiratory signs at the time of sampling, and the flocks had death rates of 7% to 12.8%. The only previous confirmation of H9N2 in domestic birds in Egypt was on a quail farm (Arch Virol, 2012, 157:1167-72). H9N2 viruses have been found in birds throughout Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.