Severe necrotic dermatitis in the combs of line 6-3 chickens infected with Marek's disease virus.

Severe necrotic dermatitis in the combs of line 6-3 chickens infected with Marek's disease virus. Avian Pathol. 2016 May 23;:1-32 Authors: Heidari M, Wang D, Fitzgerald SD, Sun S Abstract Marek's disease (MD), a lymphoproliferative disorder of domestic chickens is characterized by bursal-thymic atrophy and rapid onset of T-cell lymphomas that infiltrate lymphoid tissues, visceral organs, and peripheral nerves. Marek's disease virus (MDV), the etiological agent of MD, is a highly cell-associated oncogenic α-herpesvirus that replicates in chicken lymphocytes and establishes a latent infection within CD4(+) T cells. We investigated the possible effect of MDV infection on the exacerbation of necrotic dermatitis in the combs of MD-susceptible (72) and MD-resistant (63) chicken lines at 21 days post infection. MDV-infected birds of line 63 are relatively resistant to tumor development but exhibit an unusual necrosis of combs, wattles, and footpads that is intensified when infected with MDV. Chickens from line 72, on the other hand, are highly susceptible to MDV infection and tumor development. Real-Time PCR analysis revealed that IL-6, IL-8, IL-12, IL-18, iNOS, and IFNγ were all up regulated in the comb tissues of MDV-infected susceptible line 72 with no visible necrotic damage. With the exception of IL-8 and iNOS, the expression of all the other tested genes were barely detected in the necrotic combs of the resistant line 63. RT-PCR ana...
Source: Avian Pathology - Category: Pathology Authors: Tags: Avian Pathol Source Type: research