Further characterization of marek's disease virus-infected lymphocytes. II. In vitro infection

✍ Scribed by B. W. Calnek; K. A. Schat; L. J. N. Ross; C-L. H. Chen

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1984
• Tongue: French
• Weight: 935 KB
• Volume: 33
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0020-7136
• DOI: 10.1002/ijc.2910330319

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

Lymphocyte cultures from chicken spleens had been shown to be susceptible to in vitro infection by Marek's disease virus (MDV)^4^ in an earlier report from this laboratory. In that study, virus infection was evidenced by virus isolation and detection of viral internal antigen (VIA) 2 days post inoculation (DPI), and serial passage was accomplished by adding fresh spleen cells at 2‐day intervals. The susceptible cells were identified as bursa‐derived lymphocytes (B cells). Using a dual fluorescence technique to identify surface markers for B cells, thymus‐derived lymphocytes (T cells) or la antigen on VIA‐positive cells, we have now shown that a small proportion (generally less than 10%) of VIA‐positive cells observed 2 DPI are T cells, and that a low level of infection can be maintained by serial passage of MDV in cultures totally free of B cells. Most infected T cells in this study had Ia antigen. As the incubation period for infected cultures was extended from 2 to 4 or 5 days, the average number of viable cells decreased but the percentage of viable cells infected with MDV (VIA‐positive) increased. Also, both the proportion and the actual number of infected T cells increased, significantly more so in cultures from genetically susceptible P‐2 donors than from resistant N‐2 donors. Spleen‐cell cultures from resistant Line 6 chickens were markedly less susceptible than those from susceptible Line 7 chickens to in vitro MDV infection, as assessed by numbers of VIA‐positive cells at 5 DPI.