Chicken parvovirus viral loads in cloacal swabs from malabsorption syndrome-affected and healthy broilers

Chicken parvovirus (ChPV) has been associated with malabsorption syndrome (MAS) in broilers. However, the participation of this virus in such syndrome is unclear, since it may be detected in diseased and healthy chickens. In the course of these studies, it was argued whether ChPV genome loads might be correlated to the occurrence of MAS. To check such a hypothesis, a SYBR green-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction was developed to detect and quantify ChPV genomes. Cloacal swabs from 68 broilers with MAS and 59 from healthy animals were collected from different poultry farms. Genomes of ChPV were detected in all samples, regardless of their health status. However, viral genome loads in MAS-affected broilers were significantly higher (1 x 10(5) genome copies per 100 ng DNA) than in healthy animals (1.3 x 10(3) GC/100 ng DNA). These findings indicate that there is an association between high ChPV genome loads and the occurrence of MAS in broilers.