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Article History

Received: 13 February 2026

Accepted: 28 May 2026

First Online: 5 June 2026

Declarations

:

: The sampling was conducted as part of official diagnostic and outbreak investigation activities coordinated through the Reference Laboratory for Veterinary Quality Control on Poultry Production, Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI), Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Egypt. All farms were informed about the purpose of sampling, the type of specimens collected, and the intended research use of the data. Written or documented verbal consent was obtained from each farm owner before collecting liver and spleen tissues from deceased ducklings. No experimental infections were performed, and no live animals were euthanized specifically for research purposes. All samples were collected from naturally deceased birds during field outbreaks. The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the AHRI Ethics Committee for Animal Experiments (2022), under the regulations governing veterinary diagnostic and research activities within the Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Egypt.

: Not applicable.

: The authors declare no competing interests.