EN
The aim of the study was to determine the causative agent of Alabama Red Leg syndrome - so far not observed in broiler chickens in Poland. Clinical examinations of Ross 308 broiler chickens demonstrated changes in the form of hemorrhagic and swelling of skin in the shank region. During anatomopathological examinations multiple proliferate changes in skin and visceral organs were ascertained. Characteristic changes for Marek's disease virus in visceral organs were observed during histopathology examinations. The presence of the DNA of Marek's disease virus was demonstrated in liver cells and feather follicles by PCR. Virological examinations isolated Marek''s disease virus in chicken embryo fibroblast cultures (CEF). On the basis of clinical signs and anatomopathological changes as well as complex examinations including histopathology, molecular (PCR) and virological diagnosis, it was ascertained that the virulent Marek's disease virus strain (v MDV) was the causative agent of Alabama Red Leg syndrome in broiler chickens