The causative agent of AHV-1 is grouped in the alphaherpesviridae subfamily of the herpesvirus family [7] and the viral genome is a linear, double-stranded DNA molecule approximately 180 kb in size and its structure is similar to other alphaherpesviruses [8] . The AHV-1 genomic DNA has % G + C content of 64.3, which is the highest reported for any avian herpesvirus in the alphaherpesviridae [9] .