Infectious anemia in broiler chickens – case report

Abstract

Infectious anemia of chickens (AIG) or Chicken Anemia Virus (CAV), is caused by a virus classified in the Circoviridae family, which is characterized by being a severe temporal aplastic anemia, which leads to immunosuppression of birds and predisposes them to secondary infections, directly affecting the poultry chain with the drop in the productive performance of the affected birds and consequent reduction of the zootechnical indexes. The present study aims to report and compare the occurrence of infectious anemia in broilers on a property located in the city of Matelândia, in the western region of the state of Paraná. The site has the installation of 3 aviaries, called A1, A2 and A3, with a total accommodation capacity of 70 thousand birds. Houses A1 and A2 housed Cobb Slow birds, coming from a matrix called M1. The A3 aviary housed Ross AP95 lineage birds, coming from a different matrix nucleus, called M2. Lots A1 and A2 started to show clinical signs at 17 days of bird life, while lot A3 started to show clinical signs at 27 days of bird life. Among the signs, apathy, gangrenous dermatitis, pallor and ruffled plumage were observed. Through clinical evidence, necropsy findings and histopathological examinations in lymphoid organs, it was possible to diagnose infectious anemia. The flocks were then treated with the intention of minimizing mortality and recovering bird development. The batches showed lower than expected zootechnical results due to the involvement. Through traceability of origin of chicks, it was possible to identify that the infection of batches A1 and A2 occurred vertically and that of A3 horizontally.