Experimental Infection of Attwater's/Greater Prairie Chicken Hybrids with the Reticuloendotheliosis Virus

• Published in: Avian diseases 2006-12, Vol.50 (4), p.613-619
• Main Authors: Bohls, Ryan L, Collisson, Ellen W, Gross, Shannon L, Silvy, Nova J, Phalen, David N
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Attwater's prairie chicken; Bird Diseases - epidemiology; Bird Diseases - pathology; Bird Diseases - virology; Birds; carcinogenesis; Chickens; disease detection; endangered species; Esophageal Neoplasms - pathology; Esophageal Neoplasms - veterinary; Esophageal Neoplasms - virology; Female; Galliformes - genetics; Galliformes - virology; Hybridization, Genetic; hybrids; Infections; Lesions; Liver Neoplasms - pathology; Liver Neoplasms - veterinary; Liver Neoplasms - virology; Male; Neoplasia; neoplasms; nested PCR; pathogenesis; Polymerase chain reaction; Prairies; Research Note; Reticuloendotheliosis virus; Reticuloendotheliosis Viruses, Avian - genetics; Reticuloendotheliosis Viruses, Avian - pathogenicity; Reticuloendotheliosis Viruses, Avian - physiology; Reticuloendotheliosis, Avian - pathology; Reticuloendotheliosis, Avian - veterinary; Reticuloendotheliosis, Avian - virology; rev genes; Splenic Neoplasms - pathology; Splenic Neoplasms - veterinary; Splenic Neoplasms - virology; Tympanachus cupido; Tympanachus cupido attwateri; Tympanicus cupido pinnatus; Viruses; wild birds
• ISSN: 0005-2086; 1938-4351
• DOI: 10.1637/7517-021306R.1

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.