[Serological study of a breed of broilers with edema disease]

Twenty selected groups of chickens (835 birds on the whole) coming from randomly chosen broiler production cycles were studied for the occurrence of precipitation antibodies to the viruses of Marek's disease, infectious bronchitis, Newcastle disease, infectious bursitis, reovirus, Tipton virus and CELO. The occurrence of these antibodies was subjected to statistical evaluation and to comparison with the occurrence rate of oedema disease in the tested broiler production cycles (296 166 birds on the whole). Neither correlations nor synergistic effect was observed between the studied virus infections and the occurrence of oedema disease. Serological research demonstrated a high rate of the occurrence of reovirus. (positive proportion: 26% of samples and 100% of groups), infectious bursitis virus (56.8% and 75%) and Tipton virus (74.5% and 100%) in broilers.