A modified feather pulp culture method for determining the genetic susceptibility of adult chickens to leukosis‐sarcoma viruses

Polymerase chain reaction for detection of avian leukosis virus subgroup J in feather pulp

Feather pulp from experimentally infected chickens was used as a source of DNA for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of avian leukosis virus subgroup J (ALV-J) proviral DNA. A primer set that produces a large amplicon (approximately 2,125) was used to detect ALV-J proviral DNA. This primer set was used in lieu of previously published primers because it allows for sequencing of the entire envelope gene and because it was able to detect diagnostically a number of North American ALV-J isolates that could not be detected with previously published primers and PCR conditions. ALV-J proviral DNA was detected in feather pulp at 7 days of age in more than 90% of birds infected as embryos and 7 days postinoculation in over 50% of chickens infected at 3 days of age. The results obtained with PCR on feather pulp were compared with those of virus isolation. In the embryo-inoculated birds, the percentages of agreement between PCR and virus isolation were 92.5% at 7 days of age and 100% at 28, 42, 49, and 56 days of age. However, the overall sensitivity of virus isolation in embryo-infected birds was higher, particularly at 7 and 56 days of age. In chickens inoculated at 3 days of age, the percentages of agreement of detection between PCR and virus isolation ranged from 75% at 10 days of age to 100% at 42 days of age. Agreement of negative results of ALV-J detection by PCR and virus isolation in chickens infected posthatch ranged between 66.6% and 100% between the ages of 10 and 42 days. Virus isolation requires chicken embryo fibroblasts of specific genetic lines, and the process takes onaverage 7-9 days. Aseptic collection of blood and tissues for virus isolation and molecular detection of ALV-J requires sterile necropsy instruments as well as syringes and needles for each individual chicken, whereas sterile microcentrifuge tubes and gloves are the only equipment necessary for aseptic feather pulp collection for ALV-J detection by PCR. PCR-based detection of ALV-J in feather pulp is especially suitable when ALV-J infection must be diagnosed rapidly and unequivocally without killing the chicken(s) and in situations where crucial reagents or suitable virus propagation substrates are not readily available for isolation and propagation of ALV-J in cell culture.

High virus titer in feather pulp of chickens infected with subgroup J avian leukosis virus

Subgroup J avian leukosis viruses (ALVs), which are a recombinant virus between exogenous and endogenous ALVs, can spread by either vertical or horizontal transmission. Exogenous and endogenous ALVs can be detected in feather pulp. In this study, virus titers in feather pulp of chickens infected with subgroup J ALV were compared with those of plasma and cloacal swab. All of the broiler chickens inoculated with subgroup J ALV at 1 day old were positive for virus from feather pulp during the experimental period of between 2 wk and 8 wk of age. Virus titers in feather pulp of some broiler chickens infected with subgroup J ALV were very high, ranging from 10(7) to 10(8) infective units per 0.2 ml. Virus titers in feather pulp were usually the highest among the samples of plasma, cloacal swab, and feather pulp tested. In another experiment in which layer chickens were inoculated with subgroup J ALV at 1 day old, virus was detected in feather pulp from 2 wk until 18 wk of age, and virus persisted longer in feather pulp than in plasma. Almost all of the layer chickens tested were positive for virus by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with DNA extracted from feather pulp samples at 2, 4, and 10 wk of age, and the PCR from feather pulp was more sensitive than virus isolation from plasma, cloacal swab, and feather pulp. All above results indicate that samples of feather pulp can be useful for virus isolation and PCR to confirm subgroup J ALV infection.

Some chickens which are viraemic with subgroup J avian leukosis virus have antibody-forming cells but no circulating antibody

New immunoperoxidase-based assays for splenic IgG -antibody-forming cells (AFC) and serum IgG-antibody were used to look for antibody to HPRS-103 in meat-type birds. Meat type birds are known to be less likely to produce neutralising antibody and to be less likely to clear virus from their serum than layer-type birds after infection at hatch. In this work all 12 of the brown leghorn layer-type birds and 5/12 of the line 21 meat-type birds had produced AFC and serum antibody and had cleared serum virus at 63, 82 and 110 days of age. None of the seven viraemic line 21 birds contained serum antibody but three produced AFC. The four viraemic line 21 birds which lacked AFC occurred later in the experiment and had a higher level of virus than the three viraemic line 21 birds which possessed AFC. This suggests that most line 21 birds do not control HPRS-103 and eventually become anergic.

Tissue tropism of the HPRS-103 strain of J subgroup avian leukosis virus and of a derivative acutely transforming virus

The tissue tropism was studied for the HPRS-103 strain of avian leukosis virus, which belongs to a new envelope subgroup, designated J. Studies were conducted in blood monocyte and bone marrow cell cultures and in chickens from six lines that had been shown previously to differ in susceptibility to induction by this virus of myeloid leukosis and other tumors. Using an immunohistochemical technique to detect expression of viral group-specific antigen (Gag) in various tissues, we detected no major differences among the six lines of chickens at 3 and 7 weeks of age following infection as embryos. Thus, Gag expression did not correlate with differences in tumor susceptibility. Of the tissues examined, greatest Gag expression was observed in cells specific to the adrenal gland, heart, kidney, proventriculus and especially in smooth muscle cells and connective tissue. After infection of 1-day-old chicks, greater tissue expression was observed in line 21 chicks, which mostly developed a tolerant viremic infection, than in Brown Leghorn chicks, which developed virus-neutralizing antibodies. An acutely transforming virus, strain 966, derived from HPRS-103-induced myeloid leukosis, showed a tropism similar to HPRS-103. The HPRS-103 strain showed a lower propensity to replicate in the medullary region of the lymphoid follicles of the bursa of Fabricius than did the RAV-1 strain of subgroup A avian leukosis virus. This low bursal tropism may be a factor in why HPRS-103 does not induce lymphoid leukosis. The HPRS-103 and 966 virus replicated in blood monocyte cultures from chickens from the six lines, indicating a tropism for the myelomonocytic cell lineage. In comparison, as previously reported, RAV-1 did not replicate well in the monocyte cultures, whereas RAV-2, a subgroup B avian leukosis virus, did replicate. The tropism of HPRS-103 for monocytes may relate to its ability to cause myeloid leukosis. Monocyte and bone marrow cell cultures from the six lines ranked similarly in differences in susceptibility to transformation by 966 virus and showed evidence that their relative susceptibilities correlated with susceptibility of chickens from these lines to induction of myeloid leukosis by HPRS-103, suggesting common tissue-specific viral and host factors involved in oncogenesis by these two viruses.

Feather pulp as a source of antibody to avian viruses

Feather pulp from White Leghorns that had been inoculated with the RAV-1 strain of avian leukosis virus (ALV) was tested for antibody by ELISA. In an ELISA on three feather pulps and serum from each of four inoculated chickens, there was a highly significant correlation between antibody levels in feather pulp (1 pulp per 800 mul of buffer) and a 1:500 dilution of serum. Also based on ELISA, there were highly significant correlations between levels of maternal and actively acquired antibody to Newcastle disease virus in feather pulp and serum collected from meat-type birds at intervals between 10 and 108 days of age.