Fowl adenovirus serotype 4-induced apoptosis, autophagy, and a severe inflammatory response in liver

•Fowl adenovirus serotype 4 (FAdV-4) is a hepatotrophic virus that causes severe liver diseases.•FAdV-4 impaired liver integrity and function.•FAdV-4 induced hepatocyte apoptosis and autophagy in a time-dependent manner in vivo and in vitro.•FAdV-4 induced liver injury by via a severe inflammatory response. Fowl adenovirus serotype 4 (FAdV-4) is a hepatotrophic virus that causes severe liver diseases. Upon histological examination, the most remarkable findings in the liver are small multifocal areas of necrosis and mononuclear cell infiltration, including basophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies in hepatocytes surrounded by a clear halo or which fill the entire nucleus. Here, we examined the mechanism responsible for FAdV-4-mediated hepatocyte damage in vivo and in vitro. The results showed that FAdV-4 impaired liver integrity and function, which decreased albumin and blood glucose concentrations and increased the plasma activity of aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase, compared with a non-infected control group (P