Quail production has increased in different countries in the last years. This is because quails are easy to handle, and there is no need for enough space to raise them. Moreover, some advantages are:
- Rapid growth rate
- Low feed requirements
- High nutritional value of meat and eggs
- Short production periods
However, this species is susceptible to a huge number of diseases. Therefore adequate management and health practices are important to avoid the fast spread of any disease in the flocks.
Several viral infections affecting quails are like those in chickens, especially those reared under an intensive production system.
This review written by Ali et al. (2021) highlighted the most significant viral diseases that affect quails worldwide.
Newcastle disease virus (NDV):
- It is a member of the Orthoavulavirus genus, part of the Avulavirinae subfamily, family Paramyxoviridae, and order Mononegavirales.
- Experimental infection of three to six-week-old Japanese quail with a velogenic strain of NDV caused various mortality percentages depending on the route of inoculation.
- Japanese quail is extremely susceptible to NDV infection in an experimental setting (genotype VII).
- Control and prevention require live and inactivated vaccines.
Adenoviruses:
- It is a highly contagious acute upper respiratory infection caused by type I avian adenoviruses.
- This virus causes bronchitis, inclusion body hepatitis, and egg drop syndrome.
- Quail bronchitis is most serious in young quail under 21 days of age, causing 100% morbidity and 50% mortality.
Lymphoproliferative viral diseases:
- It has been found to occur naturally in quail but is not common except in quail that are reared intensively.
- Nerves are more often affected in quail with Marek’s disease, but the incidence of lesions is less than that seen in affected chickens.
- The Avian Leukosis Virus (ALV) could cause tumors in Japanese quails.
- Quails with antibodies against ALV subgroup A had a lymphoproliferative disease.
Avian pox virus:
- It is an acute
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