USPOULTRY and the USPOULTRY Foundation announce the completion of a funded research project by researchers at the University of Georgia that evaluated a new diagnostic tool for infectious laryngotracheitis detection. The research was made possible in part by an endowing USPOULTRY Foundation gift from Pilgrim’s. The research is part of USPOULTRY's comprehensive research program encompassing all phases of poultry and egg production and processing. In total, more than $36 million has been invested in research by USPOULTRY and its foundation since the 1960s. A summary of the completed project is below.

Project #F105: Infectious Laryngotracheitis Virus (ILTV) Molecular Diagnostics Tools in Need of an Upgrade — Dr. Maricarmen Garcia, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Population Health, University of Georgia.

Infectious laryngotracheitis virus causes respiratory disease in chickens with worldwide distribution. Garcia and colleagues at the University of Georgia recently completed a study that looked at a new diagnostic tool for detection of ILTV. To diagnose ILTV, one must identify the genotype of the outbreak-related virus and determine its genetic relationship to field or vaccine strains. Researchers have developed a genotyping assay suitable for clinical samples with higher discriminatory power than previously used ILTV genotype assays.

The research summary is available on the USPOULTRY website.

Source: U.S. Poultry & Egg Association