RT Journal Article
T1 Molecular characterization of the meq oncogene of Marek’s disease virus in vaccinated Brazilian poultry farms reveals selective pressure on prevalent strains
A1 Chacón, Ruy D.
A1 Sánchez-Llatas, Christian J.
A1 L. Pajuelo, Sarah
A1 Diaz Forero, Andrea J.
A1 Jimenez-Vasquez, Victor
A1 Médico, Jack A.
A1 Soto-Ugaldi, Luis F.
A1 Astolfi-Ferreira, Claudete S.
A1 Piantino Ferreira, Antonio J.
AB Marek’s disease virus (MDV) has become an increasingly virulent pathogen in the poultry industry despite vaccination efforts to control it. Brazil has experienced a significant rise of Marek’s disease (MD) outbreaks in recent years. Our study aimed to analyze the complete meq gene sequences to understand the molecular epidemiological basis of MD outbreaks in Brazilian vaccinated layer farms. We detected a high incidence rate of visceral MD (67.74%) and multiple circulating MDV strains. The most prevalent and geographically widespread genotype presented several clinical and molecular characteristics of a highly virulent strain and evolving under positive selective pressure. Phylogenetic and phylogeographic analysis revealed a closer relationship with strains from the USA and Japan. This study sheds light on the circulation of MDV strains capable of infecting vaccinated birds. We emphasize the urgency of adopting preventive measures to manage MDV outbreaks threatening the poultry farming industry.
PB Taylor and Francis
SN 0165-2176
YR 2024
FD 2024-03-11
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/119690
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/119690
LA eng
NO Chacón, R. D., Sánchez-Llatas, C. J., Pajuelo, S. L., Díaz Forero, A. J., Jimenez-Vasquez, V., Médico, J. A., Soto-Ugaldi, L. F., Astolfi-Ferreira, C. S., & Ferreira, A. J. P. (2024). Molecular characterization of the meq oncogene of Marek’s disease virus in vaccinated Brazilian poultry farms reveals selective pressure on prevalent strains. Veterinary Quarterly, 44(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/01652176.2024.2318198.
NO AcknowledgmentsThe authors are grateful to the staff of the farms for supplying the biological material and epidemiological information.FundingThis work was supported in part by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) under Grant [2017/05296-6]. A.J.P.F. was supported by the Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Tecnológico (CNPq) under Grant 301084/2019-0.
NO Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)
NO Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Tecnológico (CNPq).
DS Docta Complutense
RD 26 dic 2025