Field samples and clinical finding
The study was administered from April 2013 to May 2020, including 46
broiler farms from different Sulaymaniyah governorate areas, Kurdistan
of Iraq. Clinically, the birds showed a sudden onset of high mortality,
lethargy, ruffled feathers, and inappetence. At necropsy, the livers
were the primarily affected organs, appearing as enlarged, pale yellow
with necrotic foci and multiple petechial hemorrhages, enlargement of
kidney, and hemorrhage in skeletal muscles. Tissue samples of liver,
kidneys, and testicles were fixed in 10% neutral-buffered formalin
solution for histopathology. For virus detection by RT-PCR also pool
issue samples were collected from livers, kidneys, and spleens.