Distribution of viral antigen gp85 and provirus in various tissues from commercial meat-type and experimental White Leghorn Line 0 chickens with different subgroup J avian leukosis virus infection profiles

• Published in: Avian pathology Vol. 37; no. 1; pp. 7 - 13
• Main Authors: Pandiri, A.R, Gimeno, I.M, Reed, W.M, Lee, L.F, Silva, R.F, Fadly, A.M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis Group 01.02.2008; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: accuracy; animal age; animal tissues; Animals; antibodies; Antigens; Antigens, Viral - isolation & purification; Antigens, Viral - metabolism; Avian Leukosis - metabolism; Avian Leukosis - virology; Avian leukosis virus; Avian Leukosis Virus - classification; broiler chickens; Chickens - genetics; diagnostic techniques; DNA, Viral - isolation & purification; glycoproteins; immunohistochemistry; Infections; Meat; microbial genetics; molecular sequence data; neutralizing antibodies; nucleotide sequences; polymerase chain reaction; Poultry; poultry diseases; proviruses; Proviruses - isolation & purification; Retrospective Studies; seroconversion; temporal variation; test sensitivity; Tissues; vertebrate viruses; viral antigens; Viruses
• ISSN: 0307-9457; 1465-3338
• DOI: 10.1080/03079450701774843

Immunohistochemistry and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to test for the presence of avian leukosis virus (ALV) J viral antigen gp85 and proviral DNA, respectively, in various tissues (adrenal gland, bone marrow, gonad, heart, kidney, liver, lung, pancreas, proventriculus, sciatic nerve, spleen, and thymus). Tissues were collected from 32-week-old commercial meat-type and Avian Disease and Oncology Laboratory experimental White Leghorn Line 0 chickens with the following different infection profiles: tV + A−, included in ovo-tolerized viraemic chickens with no neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) on any sampling; ntV + A−, included chickens that were viraemic and NAb-negative at the time of termination at 32 weeks post hatch, but had NAbs on up to two occasions; V+ A+, included chickens that were viraemic and NAb-positive at the time of termination at 32 weeks post hatch, and had NAbs on more than two occasions; V − A+, included chickens that were negative for viraemia and NAb-positive at the time of termination at 32 weeks post hatch, and had antibody on more than two occasions; V − A−, included chickens that were never exposed to ALV J virus. There was a direct correlation between viraemia and tissue distribution of gp85, regardless of the NAb status and strain of chickens, as expression of ALV J gp85 was noted in only viraemic chickens (tV + A−, ntV + A−, V+ A+), but not in non-viraemic seroconverted chickens (V − A+). Of the four oligonucleotide primers pairs used in PCR to identify ALV J provirus, only one primer set termed H5/H7 was useful in demonstrating ALV J proviral DNA in the majority of the tissues tested from non-viraemic, antibody-positive chickens (V − A+). The results suggest that PCR using primer pair H5/H7 is more sensitive than immunohistochemistry in identifying ALV J in chickens that have been exposed to virus, but are not actively viraemic.