HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Cardona, C. J. Articles by Schat, K. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Cardona, C. J. Articles by Schat, K. A. Agricola Articles by Cardona, C. J. Articles by Schat, K. A.

Distribution of chicken anaemia virus in the reproductive tissues of specific-pathogen-free chickens

Unit of Avian Health, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA¹

Author for correspondence: K. Schat. Fax +1 607 253 3384. e-mail kas24{at}cornell.edu

The specific-pathogen-free (SPF) flocks of chickens maintained by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Cornell University became infected, inadvertently, with chicken anaemia virus (CAV), as demonstrated by seroconversion. Chickens from five flocks representing three different strains were examined for the presence of CAV using nested PCR. Virus was detected in ovaries, infundibula, vas deferentia, testes and spleens. Ovaries were positive in 38 to 72% of the hens in four flocks with 13 to 56 birds examined per flock. Interestingly, the ovaries were often the only positive tissues, while a few hens had only positive spleens. In roosters, the vas deferens was positive in 30 to 79% of the birds with 5 to 19 birds examined per flock; the vas deferens was the only positive tissue in 20 to 37%. Individual cells in the theca externa and rare epithelial cells in the infundibular epithelium were positive for CAV by in situ PCR. Positive cells were not detected in testes or vas deferentia. The SH-1 strain of CAV was isolated from these tissues and partially sequenced. Only minor sequence differences were found compared to CIA-1 and Cux-1. Embryos from matings between persistently infected dams and sire had CAV-positive cells in mesenchyme near the developing vertebral column. The data show that CAV persists in the reproductive tissues far longer than previously thought, and that it can be vertically transmitted from persistently infected birds.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				M. M. Miller, K. W. Jarosinski, and K. A. Schat Positive and Negative Regulation of Chicken Anemia Virus Transcription J. Virol., March 1, 2005; 79(5): 2859 - 2868. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]