الفهرس 
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Abstract
The poultry industry in Egypt has been facing significant economic losses due to multiple
outbreaks of inclusion body hepatitis (IBH) and hepatitis hydropericardium syndrome
(HPS) in recent years. To address this issue, a three-year research study (2020-2022) was
conducted to identify and characterize IBH and HPS in broiler and broiler breeders’ flocks
across the country. The study investigated clinical cases of fowl adenovirus (FAdV)
infection in 835 flocks (each with 10,000–20,000 birds) from 11 Egyptian provinces, for
identifying and genotyping FAdVs. The examined flocks showed various symptoms, such
as diarrhea, anemia, and general weakness. Necropsy revealed an enlarged, yellowish, and
friable liver with necrotic foci, along with hydropericardium effusions, an enlarged,
mottled spleen, enteritis, severe pancreatitis, and an inflamed bursa. DNA samples
extracted from suspected isolates were analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
and sequencing targeting the loop1 of the hexon gene. The sequences were analyzed using
BLAST and compared to adenovirus available in the GenBank database. The study found
that FAdVs were present in 22.5% (146/650) broiler flock samples and 32.9% (61/185)
broiler breeders’ flocks. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that FAdVs could be classified
into four genotypes. FAdVs B-E were detected from 34 represented samples (n= 34); one
sample had FAdV-B, three had FAdV-C, 22 had FAdV-D, and eight had FAdV-E (four
with 8a and four with 8b). FAdV-D was found to be the most predominant genotype. The
study also aimed to assess the effectiveness of three vaccination programs, using both
commercial and autogenous vaccines, in broiler breeders’ flocks. The evaluation was done
by measuring the antibody titers using ELISA. Our findings suggest that the three programs
had the ability to decrease the outbreaks in breeder flocks and progenies and prevent
vertical transmission. However, the flock that received an autogenous vaccine had the
highest antibody titer.