AVIAN

ENCEPHALOMYELITIS
Dr.Kedar Karki
 Nature of the disease
• Avian encephalomyelitis (AE) is a
viral disease of young chickens
caused by a virus from the
Hepatovirus family and characterised
by central nervous system signs
(Epidemic Tremors). It can be the
cause of significant economic loss.
 Classification
• FAO List C disease
 Susceptible species
• AE occurs naturally in chickens,
turkeys, pheasants and Japanese
quail.
 Distribution
• AE has been reported from virtually
all developed countries, including New
Zealand, Australia, USA and New
Caledonia.
 Clinical signs
•   Chickens of all ages are susceptible, but
clinical signs of encephalitis only develop in
those younger than four weeks. The
disease is similar in turkeys and chickens.
Under field conditions disease is most
common in the 1–2 week age group.
Following initial dull expression of the
eyes, the following signs are seen: -
progressive ataxia with the chick losing
control of legs, sitting on its haunches and
falling onto its side;
 Clinical signs
- tremor of the head and neck.
- Ataxia progresses to paralysis and death results
from inability to feed or drink, or through being
trampled.

-
Some birds recover, and others may survive with
persistent clinical signs.
-

In susceptible adult birds, infection is usually

sub-clinical, although there may be a transient
drop in egg production.
 Post-mortem findings
•   In chicks dying of AE there are no
characteristic gross lesions.
Histological examination of brain and
spinal cord reveals characteristic
encephalomyelitis with neuronal
degeneration, perivascular cuffing
and gliosis.
 Differential diagnosis
•  
• Newcastle disease
• St Louis encephalitis
• ricketsiosis
• vitamin E deficiency
• vitamin A deficiency
• riboflavin deficiency
• perosis
 Specimens required for
diagnosis
•   Samples of brain tissue should be
collected for histopathology,
fluorescent antibody testing and/or
virus isolation. Serum sample from
young chicks should be collected for
ELISA test.
 Transmission
•    AE virus is transmitted both
vertically and horizontally i.e.
through the egg and by contact. Eggs
laid by hens with sub-clinical
infection will carry the virus. While
hatchability drops, eggs will hatch
and chicks will develop clinical
disease soon after. Affected chicks
shed virus in faeces and will infect
susceptible in-contact chicks.  To
date wild birds have not been
 Risk of introduction
•    AE could be introduced through
the import of sub-clinically infected
adult breeding stock, infected day-
old chicks or hatching eggs.
 Control / vaccines
•  Immunization with unattenuated live virus or with
inactivated vaccine has been successfully used to
control AE in both chickens and turkeys. If live
king water. Breeder chickens are vaccinated at
10-16 weeks of age. Pheasants are vaccinated at
5-10 weeks of age and bobwhite quail at 6-10
weeks of age virus is administered to breeding
pullets before they come into lay, their progeny
will be protected by maternal antibody.  The
disease can be eliminated from flocks by
immunization, but sometimes recurs after several
years of freedom.