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Pathogenesis of Avian Pneumovirus Infection in Turkeys

Departments of Veterinary PathoBiology (FFJ, DAH, KVN) and Veterinary Diagnostic Medicine (DPS), College of Veterinary Medicine and Department of Animal Science (SLN), College of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN

Avian pneumovirus (APV) is the cause of a respiratory disease of turkeys characterized by coughing, ocular and nasal discharge, and swelling of the infraorbital sinuses. Sixty turkey poults were reared in isolation conditions. At 3 weeks of age, serum samples were collected and determined to be free of antibodies against APV, avian influenza, hemorrhagic enteritis, Newcastle disease, Mycoplasma gallisepticum, Mycoplasma synoviae, Mycoplasma meleagridis, Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale, and Bordetella avium. When the poults were 4 weeks old, they were inoculated with cell culture–propagated APV (APV/Minnesota/turkey/2a/97) via the conjunctival spaces and nostrils. After inoculation, four poults were euthanatized every 2 days for 14 days, and blood, swabs, and tissues were collected. Clinical signs consisting of nasal discharge, swelling of the infraorbital sinuses, and frothy ocular discharge were evident by 2 days postinoculation (PI) and persisted until day 12 PI. Mild inflammation of the mucosa of the nasal turbinates and infraorbital sinuses was present between days 2 and 10 PI. Mild inflammatory changes were seen in tracheas of poults euthanatized between days 4 and 10 PI. Antibody to APV was detected by day 7 PI. The virus was detected in tissue preparations and swabs of nasal turbinates and infraorbital sinuses by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, virus isolation, and immunohistochemical staining methods between days 2 and 10 PI. Virus was detected in tracheal tissue and swabs between days 2 and 6 PI using the same methods. In this experiment, turkey poults inoculated with tissue culture–propagated APV developed clinical signs similar to those seen in field cases associated with infection with this virus.

Key words: Avian pneumovirus; pathogenesis; respiratory disease; turkeys.

Requests for reprints from Dr. S. Noll, Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota, 405B Haecker Hall, 1364 Eckles Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108 (USA). E-mail: nollx001{at}umn.edu.

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