Circulation of Infectious Bronchitis Virus Among Guineafowls in Al-Ahsa Province, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Infectious Bronchitis Virus (IBV) is a highly contagious pathogen that causes a serious illness with global circulation. While there is extensive data available on the virus's existence and transmission in commercial chickens in Saudi Arabia, there is a lack of such information regarding guineafowls. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate possible IBV infection among guineafowls in the Al-Hassa Governorate of the Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. Oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs were collected from several unvaccinated flocks of guinea fowls without respiratory clinical symptoms in November and December 2022, totaling 350 samples. Total RNA was extracted from the swab samples, and a conventional reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was employed to detect IBV. The results revealed varying amounts of IBV in oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs at different points in time, suggesting that IBV may be widely distributed among guineafowls without exhibiting any symptoms. These findings indicate that guineafowls could act as reservoirs, influencing the ecology and epidemiology of the disease. Notably, this study reports the first occurrence of IBV in the province of Al-Ahsa, highlighting that guineafowls have been naturally exposed to the virus. To support the development of effective vaccination techniques and control measures for the disease in Saudi Arabia, the recommendation for future research endeavors is conducting ongoing surveillance, viral isolation, sequencing, phylogenetic tree analysis, and serotype characterization of IBV in guineafowls.