The study of the strength and significance of four biological parameters on the body weight of goose.

Alternative products such as those from high-value protien animals have increased the demand for the production of high-quality chicken meat in past few years. This study examines the impact of two distinct feeding types on goose body-weight, as well as the genetic variation of growth hormone (GH) and pituitary-specific transcription factor (Pit-1) genes in ten goose populations using single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers and PCR-RFLP analysis. Both genes were seen as very important for productivity, especially in light of the COVID-19 and its effect on poultry industry at the time. The findings suggest that employing genetic indicators in these two genes in conjunction with a high-fat diet may be a feasible strategy for goose selection programme aiming to increase marketing body weight, as the high-fat diet outperformed the balanced diet. The study investigates the effect of gender, 2 types of diets, breeds and the genetic variation of the two genes, four SNPs were reported to be found: two at the GH gene exons C123T and C158T, and two at the Pit-1 gene exons G161A and T282G. Certain genotypes were found to have a substantial effect on the marketing body-weight of goose, which varied depending on the tested breeds. However, in terms of gender, males report higher and better performance levels than females. Diet, breeds and genotype interaction, and breeds, gender and genotype interaction were found to have a minor effect on goose body weight. However, diet, breeds, gender, SNP locus, diet and breeds interaction, and breeds and gender interaction were found to have a significant effect on goose body weight, as indicated by the effect size results.

Survey of low pathogenic avian influenza viruses in live poultry markets in Guangxi Province, Southern China, 2016-2019.

Low pathogenic avian influenza viruses (LPAIVs) have been widespread in poultry and wild birds throughout the world for many decades. LPAIV infections are usually asymptomatic or cause subclinical symptoms. However, the genetic reassortment of LPAIVs may generate novel viruses with increased virulence and cross-species transmission, posing potential risks to public health. To evaluate the epidemic potential and infection landscape of LPAIVs in Guangxi Province, China, we collected and analyzed throat and cloacal swab samples from chickens, ducks and geese from the live poultry markets on a regular basis from 2016 to 2019. Among the 7,567 samples, 974 (12.87%) were LPAIVs-positive, with 890 single and 84 mixed infections. Higher yearly isolation rates were observed in 2017 and 2018. Additionally, geese had the highest isolation rate, followed by ducks and chickens. Seasonally, spring had the highest isolation rate. Subtype H3, H4, H6 and H9 viruses were detected over prolonged periods, while H1 and H11 viruses were detected transiently. The predominant subtypes in chickens, ducks and geese were H9, H3, and H6, respectively. The 84 mixed infection samples contained 22 combinations. Most mixed infections involved two subtypes, with H3 + H4 as the most common combination. Our study provides important epidemiological data regarding the isolation rates, distributions of prevalent subtypes and mixed infections of LPAIVs. These results will improve our knowledge and ability to control epidemics, guide disease management strategies and provide early awareness of newly emerged AIV reassortants with pandemic potential.

Traceable surveillance and genetic diversity analysis of coronaviruses in poultry from China in 2019.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was first reported in Wuhan, China, and rapidly spread throughout the world. This newly emerging pathogen is highly transmittable and can cause fatal disease. More than 35 million cases have been confirmed, with a fatality rate of about 2.9% to October 9, 2020. However, the original and intermediate hosts of SARS-CoV-2 remain unknown. Here, 3160 poultry samples collected from 14 provinces of China between September and December 2019 were tested for SARS-CoV-2 infection. All the samples were SARS-CoV-2 negative, but 593 avian coronaviruses were detected, including 485 avian infectious bronchitis viruses, 72 duck coronaviruses, and 36 pigeon coronaviruses, with positivity rates of 15.35%, 2.28%, and 1.14%, respectively. Our surveillance demonstrates the diversity of avian coronaviruses in China, with higher prevalence rates in some regions. Furthermore, the possibility that SARS-CoV-2 originated from a known avian-origin coronavirus can be preliminarily ruled out. More surveillance of and research into avian coronaviruses are required to better understand the diversity, distribution, cross-species transmission, and clinical significance of these viruses.

Lack of Susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV in Poultry.

We challenged chickens, turkeys, ducks, quail, and geese with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus. We observed no disease and detected no virus replication and no serum antibodies. We concluded that poultry are unlikely to serve a role in maintenance of either virus.