Abstract

Objective: To investigate the presence of Marek’s disease virus in broiler flocks in Iran using PCR method. Methods: A total of fifty broilers with suspected cases of Marek’s diseases were selected purposively. Gross and histopathological examinations were done. Tumoral and non-tumoral tissues were collected. Viral DNA in tissue was extracted following standard procedure and, a 314 bp fragment of antigen A gene was amplified. Differentiation of detected viral DNA as belonging to pathogenic or non-pathogenic strain was performed by amplification of 434 bp fragment of tandem repeat. Results: Antigen A was detected in tumoral and non-tumoral tissues obtained from all the birds. DNA detected in all tumoral tissues from all the birds belonged to pathogenic Marek’s disease virus strain. Histopathologic examinations showed different degrees of lymphocytic infiltration in sampled tissues. Conclusions: In tumorigenic stage of Marek’s disease, antigen A could be distributed to almost every tissue.

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