Experimental infection of Attwater's/greater prairie chicken hybrids with the reticuloendotheliosis virus

Reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV), a common pathogen of poultry, has been associated with runting and neoplasia in an endangered subspecies of grouse, the Attwater's prairie chicken. The pathogenesis of REV infection was examined in experimentally infected prairie chickens. Three groups of four Attwater's/greater prairie chicken hybrids were infected intravenously with varying doses (tissue culture infective dose [TCID50], 200, 1000, and 5000) of a prairie chicken-isolated REV. A fourth group of four birds was not infected. Blood was collected prior to infection, and at various times up to 37 wk following infection. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were examined for integrated proviral DNA by a single-amplification polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and nested PCR of a region within the pol gene. The nested PCR identified REV proviral DNA in all REV-inoculated birds by 2 wk postinfection and confirmed chronic infection throughout the study. With the exception of a bird that died from bacterial pneumonia 8 wk postinfection, neoplasia, resembling that seen in naturally occurring infections, was observed in all birds, even those receiving as little as 200 TCID50 of virus.     

Pathogenicity and transmission of reticuloendotheliosis virus isolated from endangered prairie chickens

The pathogenicity and transmission of a field isolate of reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) was studied using an experimental model in Japanese quail. Oncogenicity was also evaluated after inoculations in chickens and turkeys. The original REV (designated APC-566) was isolated from Attwater's prairie chickens (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri), an endangered wild avian species of the southern United States. The transmissibility of the REV isolate was studied in young naive Japanese quail in contact with experimentally infected quail. Vertical transmission was not detected by virus isolation and indirect immunofluorescence. Seroconversion was detected in few contact quails, suggesting horizontal transmission. The APC-566 isolate induced tumors beginning at 6 wk of age in quails infected as embryos. Most of the tumors detected in Japanese quail were lymphosarcomas, and 81% of these neoplasias contained CD3+ cells by immunoperoxidase. REV APC-566 was also oncogenic in chickens and turkeys infected at 1 day of age, with tumors appearing as early as 58 days after infection in chickens and at 13 wk of age in turkeys. This study was conducted in part as an attempt to understand the potential for pathogenicity and transmission of REV isolated from endangered avian species.     

Hematology and serum biochemistry values of captive Attwater's prairie chickens (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri).

Hematology and serum biochemistry values are reported for 33 Attwater's prairie chickens (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri) that were captive-reared at the San Antonio Zoo as part of a federal reintroduction program in Texas. Hematologic values include packed cell volume, and total and differential white blood cell counts. The biochemical values include concentrations of serum calcium, total protein, albumin, phosphorus, glucose, uric acid, and cholesterol. Mathematic computation of globulin concentration and albumin: globulin ratios were conducted. Also, determination of the serum activities of creatine kinase and aspartate aminotransferase was done.     

Causes of mortality in captive Attwater's prairie chickens (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri) at the San Antonio Zoo, 1997-2000.

Necropsy records for 102 Attwater's prairie chickens (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri) that had been captive-reared and had died at the San Antonio Zoo over a 4-yr period were evaluated to determine the causes of mortality. Gross necropsy, histopathology, and bacterial culture findings are summarized. Mortality was highest in young birds (<6 mo) and embryos. Husbandry- and gastrointestinal-related diseases were the most common causes of mortality.     

Studies of reticuloendotheliosis virus-induced lymphomagenesis in chickens

Seventy-three percent of chickens inoculated with the chick syncytial strain of reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) at hatching developed lymphomas by 39 weeks of age. Neonatal treatment with cyclophosphamide or surgical bursectomy at 2, 4, 8, or 12 weeks of age significantly (P less than 0.01) reduced lymphoma development. In a further experiment, surgical bursectomy of REV-infected chickens followed by intravenous inoculation of the chickens with a single cell suspension of their own bursa cells at 2, 4, 9, or 13 weeks of age resulted in lymphoid tumors in chickens treated at 9 or 13 weeks but not in chickens treated at 2 or 4 weeks of age. Furthermore, this treatment did not shorten the incubation period for lymphoma development. These findings argue very strongly that transforming target cells are primarily in the bursa of Fabricius. The data also suggest that a minimum residency of 4 weeks in the bursa is required for infected bursa cells to become transformed. Therefore, lymphomagenesis induced by REV in chickens appears similar to that induced by the avian leukosis virus group.     

鸡肿瘤病料中马立克氏病病毒和禽网状内皮组织增生症病毒共感染的研究

采用细胞培养、间接荧光抗体试验(IFA)、聚合酶链式反应(PCR)和斑点杂交(Dotblot)的方法从我国不同地区发生肿瘤的病料中同时进行MDV和REV的分离和鉴定。在分离到的13株MDV野毒株中，有4株培养物既能在IFA中与REV的单抗反应，又可以用PCR扩增出REV的LTR；另有4株培养物能扩增出REV的LTR，但在IFA中却不与REV的单抗反应。结果表明我国MD肿瘤中存在着REV的共感染，且我国MDV某些野毒株的基因组中有可能已经整合进了REV的LTR序列。     

Influence of reticuloendotheliosis on the severity of Eimeria tenella infection in broiler chickens

Broiler chickens free of maternal immunity to reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) were used in the experiment. Two groups of 25 chickens were inoculated with REV at one day of age. One of these groups and another group of 25 chickens were inoculated with Eimeria tenella sporulated oocysts at 7 days of age. Chickens inoculated with E. tenella showed bloody diarrhoea from 12 to 14 days of age. Six out of 25 chickens died (P less than 0.05) at 13 and 14 days of age in the dual infected group. At 14 days of age, when chickens were killed, the lesion score in the combined infection group, was statistically different from that in the chickens inoculated with E. tenella alone. Also the weights of the bursa of Fabricius and thymus were lower in the two REV infected groups than in the controls. Although REV infection alone adversely affected the weight gain and feed conversion, with combined infection this effect was much greater. Following REV inoculation most of the chickens showed feathering defects and all the examined chickens were viraemic at 21 days of age. At the same age, all but one chicken failed to show precipitating antigenaemia and about one-half of these chickens showed a very low serum neutralisation titre. None of these chickens showed precipitating antibodies.     

禽网状内皮组织增生病病毒和呼肠孤病毒感染SPF鸡对IFN-γ产生的影响

1日龄SPF鸡分别接种禽网状内皮组织增生病病毒（REV）、禽呼肠孤病毒（ARV）和REV＋ARV,于感染后3、5、46 d采集脾细胞做脾淋巴细胞培养并采用双抗体夹心ELISA法检测IFN-γ水平。结果表明,与对照相比,鸡感染REV后脾淋巴细胞IFN-γ的分泌水平显著升高。感染后5 d,REV单独感染引起IFN-γ8倍的增长,达到峰值,然后逐渐下降。ARV单独感染引起IFN-γ2倍的增长。REV和ARV共感染鸡脾淋巴细胞IFN-γ的分泌量增长了3倍。至感染后46 d,共感染和REV单独感染的IFN-γ水平与对照组相比仍然差异显著,ARV单独感染与对照组相比差异不再显著。     

Effect of reticuloendotheliosis virus on the response of chickens to Salmonella typhimurium infection

Groups of 25 chickens free of maternal antibody to reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) were inoculated with either third or seventh passage REV at either one or seven days of age. Some of the birds inoculated at day 1 with REV were inoculated with Salmonella typhimurium either concurrently or six or 13 days later while some of those inoculated with REV at day 7 were inoculated concurrently with S typhimurium. At day old, infection with S typhimurium alone caused the death of 12 of 25 chicks whereas in the dual infection, using the third passage REV, 18 of 25 birds died. Similarly no seven or 14 day old chickens died when challenged with S typhimurium alone, but previous day-old infection with REV caused a respective mortality of eight of 25 and five of 25 birds. With the seventh passage REV a similar pattern was seen. At day old S typhimurium infection alone killed seven of 25 birds whereas combined with virus the mortality was 14 of 25 and while S typhimurium alone killed none of 25 chicks infected at seven days old, the mortality in birds also infected with REV was 14 of 25. Combined virus and bacterial infections did not increase the proportion of feathering defects in birds surviving S typhimurium infections. There was a significantly higher proportion of feathering defects in birds infected with third passage virus compared with seventh passage virus. Although a higher proportion of birds had antibody responses to REV in the seventh than in the third passage group, there was no discernible difference in the effect the different viruses had on chickens' susceptibility to S typhimurium.     

Serological investigations of infectious bursal disease virus and reticuloendotheliosis virus infections in New Zealand chickens

Extract

Sir:- Between 1975 and 1981, sera were collected from 89 New Zealand chicken farms representing a variety of laying and meat birds of different ages from both primary breeders and commercial flocks. In some instances samples were collected from one or more flocks on a farm. In most cases between ten and 20 birds were sampled in a flock and the sera pooled to give a composite sample for testing.     

Clinical effects, virological and serological responses in chickens following in-ovo inoculation of reticuloendotheliosis virus

Six-day-old embryonated specific pathogen free chicken eggs were inoculated with reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) into the yolk sac and were incubated until they hatched. The hatchability of eggs inoculated with REV was significantly less (P less than 0.025) than that of media-inoculated controls. Although there were no significant differences in the body weights of these chickens at hatching, there were differences (P less than 0.001) at 6, 25 and 51 days of age between the infected and control chickens. Six of 10 chickens hatched from eggs inoculated with REV had feathering defects at 6 days of age. All chickens hatched from infected eggs had cell-free viraemia and antigenaemia, but not precipitating antibodies. Some of these chickens had very low neutralising antibody titres (less than 45) when examined at 25 and 37 days of age, as did all 10 chickens at 51 days of age. A low rate of horizontal transmission was indicated by the detection of antibodies at 37 and 51 days of age in chickens running in contact with the chickens hatched from eggs inoculated with REV.     

雏鸡母源抗体滴度与抗禽网状内皮增生病病毒感染间的相关性分析

为分析雏鸡母源抗体滴度与抗禽网状内皮增生病毒(REV)感染之间的相关性.将蛋用型海兰褐种鸡在用REV弱毒疫苗免疫接种,种鸡均在2周内产生REV特异性抗体.来自免疫REV疫苗种鸡的雏鸡均呈母源抗体阳性,而且母源抗体滴度与对应种鸡的抗体滴度呈正相关性.分别对有母源抗体和无母源抗体的雏鸡人工接种REV低代毒,比较它们的生长速度和对新城疫病毒(NDV)和禽流感病毒(AIV)灭活苗免疫后的抗体反应.结果表明,种鸡提供的母源抗体,不仅可预防REV野毒感染引起的生长迟缓,也可预防REV引起的对NDV和AIV灭活疫苗免疫反应的抑制作用.雏鸡的REV母源抗体水平与对NDV和AIV的灭活疫苗免疫后的抗体滴度呈正相关性.     

SPF雏鸡感染REV后IL-2 mRNA表达的动态变化

为研究SPF鸡感染禽网状内皮组织增生症病毒(REV)后白细胞介素2(IL-2) mRNA表达的动态变化,本研究应用荧光定量RT-PCR方法,对SPF鸡感染REV后主要免疫器官的IL-2 mRNA转录水平进行了初步研究.结果显示,与对照组相比,REV感染组鸡的脾脏、胸腺和法氏囊中IL-2基因的表达量在感染后7d、14d、21d、28 d、35 d、42 d和49 d均呈现升高,而且除21日龄、28日龄鸡的脾脏外,均为差异显著(p＜0.05).本研究表明REV感染后可以诱导鸡的机体表达IL-2.     

Effects of reticuloendotheliosis virus and Marek's disease virus infection and co-infection on IFN-gamma production in SPF chickens

Two experiments were used to examine the potential role of IFN-gamma in chickens infected with reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) and Marek's disease virus (MDV). First, chickens were infected with REV and/or MDV at 5 days of age and examined from 3 to 50 days post-infection (dpi). In REV+MDV co-infection chickens, IFN-gamma ELISA demonstrated a 3-fold increase at 7 dpi compared to the controls, while REV alone caused a 5-fold increase, the IFN-gamma levels peaked, and then gradually decreased. IFN-gamma levels significantly decreased in MDV infection at 3 dpi and 15 dpi. Second, experiments were designed to determine the effects of different viruses and ConA on IFN-gamma production. For REV- or MDV-infected chickens, the IFN-gamma levels decreased slightly after adding ConA. This is the first report of IFN-gamma production in SPF chickens infected with REV and MDV measured by directly quantitative method.     

Evaluation of pathogenicity of avian poxvirus isolates from endangered Hawaiian wild birds in chickens

Pathogenicity of two avian poxviruses isolated from endangered Hawaiian wild birds, the Hawaiian Goose and the Palila, was compared with fowl poxvirus in chickens. Immune responses were measured by ELISA pre- and postimmunization with Hawaiian poxviruses and after challenge with fowl poxvirus. Both isolates from Hawaiian birds developed only a localized lesion of short duration at the site of inoculation in specific-pathogen-free chickens and did not provide protection against subsequent challenge with virulent fowl poxvirus. On the other hand, birds inoculated with virulent fowl poxvirus developed severe lesions. In contrast to high antibody response in chickens immunized with fowl poxvirus, birds immunized with either of the two Hawaiian isolates developed low to moderate antibody responses against viral antigens. The level of immune responses, however, increased in birds of all groups following subsequent challenge.     

Enzootic pneumonia-pleurisy complex in sheep and lambs

Seventy-nine to ninety-three percent of 49 young lambs less than 3 months old, which were too small to go to the meat works at the time of the first draft, showed sub-clinical lesions of enzootic pneumonia when examined post-mortem. Later samples from the same population showed that some, but not all, lambs developed pleurisy. During the months that the lambs were growing and fattening, the prevalence of enzootic pneumonia diminshed while that of pleurisy increased. The increase in the prevalence of pleurisy was greater during the latter 5 months of the iamb-kill period and reached 11% of all lambs killed during July 1974. A higher prevalence of pleurisy was observed in sheep over 1-year-old killed at the meat works, indicating that the prevalence of pleurisy continued to rise beyond the first year of the lamb's life.