Recent outbreaks of infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) have renewed interest in the genotyping of outbreak-related isolates and reviewing efficacy of different vaccination programs available to combat this costly disease of poultry.
To help the industry improve control programs, the American Association of Avian Pathologists is hosting a webinar, “Recent Outbreaks of ILT: What Have We Learned?” on Friday, Feb. 16, 2-3 pm EST.
The presentation will be led by Maricarmen Garcia, PhD, a virologist at the University of Georgia’s Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center who specializes in the disease.
“Antigenically ILTV strains exist as a single serotype; thus, differentiation of ILTV strains is based on genome differences (genotyping),” Garcia explained in a recent abstract.
“Knowledge of virus genotype allows veterinarians to determine whether the circulating virus is of vaccine (vaccinal LT) or field origin, which facilitates investigating events that potentiated virus introduction.”
‘Most prevalent’ genotype
Garcia noted that periodic genotyping of outbreak-related viruses from different companies within a state permits tracking changes in circulating viruses.
She and her colleagues at PDRC have collected genotype data from broiler and broiler breeder outbreaks from 2020 to 2023. These data show that the most prevalent viral genotype in the past 3 years belongs to Genotype VI.
“In this seminar, we will present the prevalence of this viral genotype through the years by region and show some pathotyping data of the more recent circulating genotype VI viruses,” Garcia said. “Finally, we will discuss potential ways to monitor and reduce viral load in the environment after recurrent disease cases.”
The webinar is $20 for AAAP members and $40 for non-members. To view the 1-hour webinar and Q&A held February 16, 2024, click here. (Registration required.)
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