Diagnosis, Prevention and Control in Avian Virus Infections

Dear Colleagues,

Poultry farming is an activity aimed at the production of consumer goods, namely meat and eggs. Due to the high productivity of the birds, and the fact that they have a short biological cycle, high prolificacy and easy handling and experimentation, this activity is highly profitable. The overall performance of a poultry flock is dependent on various factors such as feed quality, poultry house management, and the circulation of pathogenic microorganisms, namely viruses. The presence of some viruses in a farm may cause diseases, leading to severe economic losses. When these viruses are zoonotic, the consequences may be even worse, since they may originate epidemics and pandemics in the human populations. Indeed, emerging infectious diseases often caused by zoonotic pathogens, including pathogenic zoonotic viruses, are responsible for a high percentage of mortality and morbidity observed worldwide, and most of the high impact outbreaks that have occurred in the past decades resulted from the contact of humans with livestock animals (i.e., Swine Influenza and AIV) and animal live markets (i.e., SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2). However, not only poultry can be affected by avian viruses, since exotic pet birds are also susceptible to virus infections.

For the efficient control and prevention of infectious diseases, the identification of circulating pathogens is critical. Poultry vaccines are widely applied to prevent and control contagious diseases in poultry farms, and their use in production is aimed at avoiding or minimizing the emergence of clinical diseases at the farm level, thus increasing production and preventing zoonotic diseases. Vaccination is also applied in the framework of disease eradication programs under the official supervision of public veterinary services. However, due to selection pressures, as viruses change, the immune response also adapts, and therefore the existing vaccination programs may become inadequate in providing protection against disease. Thus, vaccine recommendations may change as new information regarding bird immunity and diseases is discovered.

We propose the Special Issue of "Diagnosis, Prevention and Control in Avian Virus Infections", with the aim to provide the knowledge needed to control avian viruses and to protect poultry farms and exotic pet birds from viral diseases. The objectives of this Special Issue are to provide new diagnostic tools to detect precociously avian viruses in birds and to make available new prevention and control measures to protect birds from viral diseases. Among the most common viral diseases affecting poultry are avian influenza, Newcastle disease, infectious bronchitis, avian reovirus, infectious bursal disease, avian encephalomyelitis, avian leukosis, chicken infectious anemia, fowl pox, egg drop syndrome, parvovirus infection, rotavirus infection, hemorrhagic enteritis, infectious laryngotracheitis and Marek's disease. Regarding exotic pet birds, there are also beak and feather disease, and polyomavirus and bornavirus infections. It is hoped that this Special Issue will further stimulate collaboration between scientists engaged in all aspects of this field of research.

Dr. Ana Margarida Henriques
Dr. Teresa Fagulha
Guest Editors

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• avian viral diseases
• avian virus
• viral diagnosis
• serological diagnosis
• next genera-tion sequencing
• vaccination
• disease control
• phylogenetic analysis