Pathology and molecular diagnosis of fowl pox in shillong, meghalaya

A study was conducted during the period from August, 2015 to April, 2016 to survey the occurrence of viral diseases in chicken in and around Shillong, Meghalaya, to study the pathology and finally to diagnose them by using common molecular techniques. A total of 370 dead and sick birds were collected from different organized and unorganized poultry farms in and around Shillong, Meghalaya. Of these, 109 cases (i.e. 29.46%) were diagnosed as viral diseases. Only 5 cases out of 21 clinically suspected cases could be diagnosed as Fowl pox (1.81%) basing on the clinical history, gross and histopathology and confirmed by PCR. The maximum cases were mostly in birds of 9-12 weeks (40%), followed by 3-9, 9-12 and above12 weeks of age (20%) with very low morbidity (5-7%). The general symptoms recorded were depression, dehydration, emaciation, and reluctance to move due to wart-like growth on the eyelid impeding their vision. In some chickens, egg production was affected. There were no significant gross lesions except for the wart-like nodules, crust and erosions on featherless parts. Most characteristic microscopic changes were hydropic degeneration and hyperplastic epithelium of stratum spinosum with presence of pathognomic eosinphillic intracytoplamic inclusion bodies called Bollinger bodies. There were areas of congestion and necrosis under the suferficial layer of skin. PCR was also used for confirming the disease by detecting the viral genome (i.e. 4b gene). The present study suggests that fowl pox is occurring in chicken population in and around Shillong, Meghalaya.