Avian reovirus infections

Reoviruses are common among domestic poultry and other avian species. This chapter offers detailed coverage of the history, etiology, pathobiology, epizootiology, diagnosis, and intervention strategies of avian reovirus. Apart from tenosynovitis in chickens and turkeys, reovirus is considered as the cause of other clinical diseases, but a clear relationship to reovirus infection cannot be definitively established. There appears to be a wide range of pathogenicity among isolates, but most are probably harmless. Diagnosis of viral arthritis can be made on the basis of clinical signs and gross and histologic lesions. Demonstration of virus in clinical material is required in order to confirm the cause. This can be accomplished by virus isolation and/or reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. In the era of molecular biology and deeper understandings of the genetics and immunological aspects of reovirus, a vaccine that will confer protection against a wide-range of variants maybe a possible task.