The pathogenesis of infectious bursal disease: serologic, histopathologic, and clinical chemical observations

Infectious bursal disease in 35-day-old specific-pathogen-free (SPF) chickens was characterized clinically by its acute onset and brief duration. Clinical signs included depression, anorexia, diarrhea, and polyuria. A detectable precipitin antibody response occurred between 3 and 5 days postinoculation. Evaluation of pooled serum samples obtained from infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV)-infected chickens revealed transient changes in potassium, cholesterol, uric acid, lactate dehydrogenase, serum glutamic-oxalic transaminase, and serum proteins. Individual serum samples analyzed for uric acid concentration indicated that several IBDV-infected chickens had serum uric acid concentrations above the normal comparison range. Histopathologic examination of lymphoid and nonlymphoid tissues from IBDV-infected SPF chickens affirmed that the predominant lesion was lymphoid necrosis in the bursa of Fabricius. Other lymphoid organs were much less severely affected and possessed greater regenerative potential. Nonspecific and relatively mild changes were found in the liver and kidney: hepatic lipidosis and necrosis, renal intratubular crystalline deposits (probably urates), and increased ectopic lymphoid foci. There was no evidence of immune-complex-mediated arteritis/vasculitis in the sartorius muscle or any other tissue examined. Histopathologic and ultrastructural evidence of glomerulonephritis was rare but compatible with acute immune complexemia.     

Ileal digestibility of amino acids in pigs fed barleys differing in protein content

The apparent digestibility of nitrogen and amino acids was measured by the ileal and faecal methods in pigs fed nine barleys differing in nitrogen content (from 1.73 to 2.16 per cent/DM). A positive (r = 0.87) and significant relationship was found between the apparent nitrogen digestibility at the end of the ileum and the crude protein content of barley. Generally, the higher the protein of the grain, the higher the ileal digestibilities of the amino acids. For most amino acids the faecal values were greater than the ileal ones. This being specially so for threonine, tryptophan, histidine and cystine belonging to the nutritionally important amino acid group. When the relationship between the amino acid and nitrogen digestibilities at the level of ileum is considered, the values were found to be similar to that of nitrogen in the case of tryptophan, higher for isoleucine, valine (both 2-3 units), cystine, histidine, leucine, methionine (all 5-6 units) and phenylalanine (10 units) and lower only for lysine and threonine (7-8 dig. units).