Molecular typing of Hungarian fowl adenovirus isolates

Abstract

A screening was performed to type the recently occurring fowl adenovirus (FAdV) strains in Hungary. Thirty-two virus isolates obtained between 2011 and 2016 originating from field samples of domestic chickens and one pheasant were classified as FAdVs based on cytopathic effects. The isolates were studied by PCR targeting a fragment of the adenoviral hexon gene and twenty-nine samples yielded a positive result. The PCR products were sequenced and, according to the results of phylogenetic calculations, each of them proved to consist of one FAdV strain and no mixed infections were observed. This study confirmed the presence of all the five FAdV species in Hungary and that FAdV-D and -E are the most commonly retrieved, representing altogether 55% of the samples.