Persistence of chicken anemia virus antigen and inclusions in spontaneous cases of Marek’s disease visceral lymphomas in broiler chickens at slaughterhouses

• Published in: Journal of Veterinary Medical Science Vol. 78; no. 5; pp. 825 - 829
• Main Authors: AHMED, Mohamed Sabry, ONO, Hiroki, SASAKI, Jun, OCHIAI, Kenji, GORYO, Masanobu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Japan JAPANESE SOCIETY OF VETERINARY SCIENCE 01.01.2016; Japan Science and Technology Agency; The Japanese Society of Veterinary Science
• Subjects: Abattoirs - statistics & numerical data; Animals; Antigens, Viral - immunology; Avian Pathology; Chicken anemia virus; Chicken anemia virus - immunology; Chickens - immunology; Chickens - virology; co-infection; Inclusion Bodies, Viral - immunology; Inclusion Bodies, Viral - virology; inclusion body; Liver - pathology; Liver - virology; lymphoma; Marek Disease - epidemiology; Marek Disease - immunology; Marek Disease - pathology; Marek Disease - virology; Marek's disease herpesvirus; marek’s disease; Poultry Diseases - epidemiology; Poultry Diseases - immunology; Poultry Diseases - pathology; Poultry Diseases - virology; Spleen - pathology; Spleen - virology
• ISSN: 0916-7250; 1347-7439
• DOI: 10.1292/jvms.15-0615

The chicken anemia virus (CAV) and Marek’s disease virus (MDV) infect chickens worldwide; a single or dual infection by these viruses has a great impact on poultry production. In the present study, we examined the existence of CAV antigen and its inclusions in Marek’s disease (MD) lymphomas in chickens in the slaughterhouses of Iwate prefecture, Japan. Forty-nine spleens and 13 livers with different degrees of nodular lesions were histopathologically examined at our laboratory. Grossly, the tested organs showed various sizes and anatomical architectures. Based on the cellular morphology and the infiltrative nature of the neoplastic lymphocytes, MD was confirmed in 76% (37/49) of the spleens and 92% (12/13) of the livers. The lesions of MD, according to the pattern of lymphocytic accumulation in the affected organs, were divided into multifocal, coalesced and diffuse. CAV intranuclear inclusion bodies were detected within the small and the large bizarre lymphocytes of the MD lymphomas in 2 livers and 9 spleens, and the immunostaining test for CAV confirmed the persistence of CAV antigens and inclusions in the neoplastic cells. This study demonstrated the persistence of CAV infection within the neoplastic cells of naturally occurring MD lymphomas in chickens.