A high recombination frequency within the chicken major histocompatibility (B) complex.

Chickens of a commercial pure White Leghorn line were typed for B-F and B-G by serological, biochemical and molecular biological methods. Amongst 287 typed animals of one particular line, three animals with recombinant haplotypes were identified. Compared to earlier reports this revealed a statistically significant (P < 0.05), tenfold higher recombination frequency in this chicken line.