Poultry, Fisheries & Wildlife Sciences
Open Access

Abstract

Duck Hepatitis A Virus Type 1

Arsalan Egbal

Duck virus hepatitis (DVH) caused by duck hepatitis A virus type 1 (DHAV-1) is an acute and lethal disease of young ducklings. However, there is still no effective drug to treat DVH. It has always been considered one of the threats endangering duck farming in Egypt since the 1960s. It causes a highly contagious infection of ducks. The disease is an acute, rapidly spreading, often fatal virus infection of young ducklings. It usually affects ducklings under 6 weeks of age and often much younger. The clinical disease is characterised by lethargy and ataxia followed by opisthotonos and death. Ducklings lose their balance, fall on their sides and kick spasmodically prior to death. Pathologically, the disease is characterized by enlargement of the liver and spleen and swelling of the kidneys with some congestion of renal blood vessels. This disease is on the list of diseases notified to the World Organization for Animal Health. The most common causative pathogen is a member of the newly proposed Picornavirus genus (Avihepatovirus) duck hepatitis A virus (DHAV). DHAV has been further divided into three serotypes or genotypes, including DHAV-1 (classical serotype 1), DHAV-2 (a serotype isolated in Taiwan) and DHAV-3 (a serotype isolated in South Korea and China) or DHAV genotypes A, B and C. Of these three DHAV types, the most virulent and widespread is DHAV-1, which can cause mortality of up to 95% in young ducklings within 1 week of age.

Published Date: 2021-04-27; Received Date: 2021-04-05