High mortality associated with avian reoviral hepatitis in young quail (Colinus virginianus)

High mortality in bobwhite quail chicks (Colinus virginianus) (35%-85%) was reported from a grower flock in Iowa during July and August of 2022. Two diagnostic submissions of dead, 3-day-old quail chicks were received. Postmortem examination revealed multifocal, pinpoint, pale tan foci in the liver of all birds. Histologic examination revealed moderate to severe, acute, multifocal, random necrotizing hepatitis with multinucleated cells and dystrophic mineralization. Metagenomic sequencing of liver detected orthoreovirus. A high level of avian reovirus (ARV) RNA was identified by real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR. ARV was successfully isolated from liver and lung on the Leghorn male hepatoma cell line. In addition, electron microscopy revealed orthoreovirus viral particles and virus factories in the formalin-fixed livers and viral-infected cell culture. This case highlights ARV as a potential cause of hepatitis in quail chicks and should be considered in the differential diagnosis.