The β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) requirement has been considered to be essential for the isolation of the causal agent of infectious coryza, Avibacterium paragallinarum. Nevertheless, NAD-independent reports from South Africa and Mexico dismissed this paradigm. It is now accepted that both NAD-dependent and NAD-independent agents are able to cause infectious coryza and thus belong to the species A. paragallinarum. Here, we report for the first time in Peru a NAD-independent isolate from broiler chickens with typical signs of infectious coryza that have received a trivalent inactivated vaccine against infectious coryza. The isolate was identified based on its morphology, biochemical and serologic tests, and PCR results. Partial 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis confirmed the isolate as A. paragallinarum. There have been no cases of NAD-independent A. paragallinarum isolates reported in South America. Increasing reports around the world highlight not only the need to reconsider the in vitro nutritional requirements of this species for its correct isolation but also the cross-protection conferred by commercial infectious coryza vaccines against NAD-independent isolates.
Keywords: Avibacterium paragallinarum; NAD-independent; V-factor; β-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD).