Establishment and characterization of chicken embryo fibroblast clone LSCC-H32.

Cell line CEC-32 and clone LSCC-H32 were established from primary chicken embryo cells spontaneously but not experimentally transformed at 32 degrees C. The lines consisted of fibroblastoid and polygonal cells and had a subtetraploid karyotype of 2N = 130 to 140. The cells showed increased plating efficiency and metabolic activities as demonstrated by hexose uptake and plasminogen activator assay. The established cells produced avian lymphoid leukosis viruses of subgroups A and B. The virus released from LSCC-H32 cells induced lymphoid leukosis in inoculated chickens 18 to 22 wk post infection (PI). The cells have been carried in continuous culture for 285 passages and they appeared to grow indefinitely. They were efficiently used to propagate several animal viruses and to titrate chicken interferon.

Passive immunisation of turkey poults against turkey coryza (bordetellosis) by vaccination of parent breeders.

Seventy turkey parent breeders were vaccinated subcutaneously at 24 and 28 weeks of age with a bacterin consisting of equal parts of a heat-inactivated suspension of the coryza producing Bordetella-like strain IPDH 591-77 and Freund's complete adjuvant. One group of 70 breeder hens served as un-vaccinated controls. Two and 3.5 months after the second vaccination eggs were collected and incubated. After hatching, 3-day-old poults from vaccinated and unvaccinated hens were challenged by direct-contact exposure to artificially infected poults. The results of clinical, cultural and histopathological examinations indicated that the majority of the progeny of vaccinated turkey breeder hens was protected against infection with the bacterial turkey coryza agent within the first 10 to 17 days after hatching. Agglutinating antibodies against the turkey coryza agent could be detected in vaccinated hens as well as in their progeny.

A new herpesvirus isolated from black storks (Ciconia nigra).

An infectious agent was isolated from livers, spleens and bone marrow of two black storks (Ciconia nigra L.) originating from the same source. Pathological lesions consisted of small whitish focal areas in livers, spleens and bone marrow. The isolated agent was sensitive to chloroform and its multiplication was inhibited by 5-iodine-2-deoxy-uridine. It passed filters with a pore diameter of 220 nm and greater but not 100 nm filters. Electron microscopic examination revealed numerous nucleocapsids with hollow capsomeres and few enveloped particles in the supernatant fluids of infected cultures. The nucleocapsids were calculated to have 162 capsomeres on their surface. Using the plaque reduction method for neutralisation tests no serological cross reactions could be detected between the stork herpesvirus and sera against Marek's disease virus, turkey herpesvirus, and the Lake Victoria cormorant, amazon parrot, eagle owl, and pigeon herpesviruses. It is concluded that the isolated virus is a member of the avian herpesvirus group and it is proposed to tentatively term it herpesvirus ciconiae (ciconia lat. stork).

[Immunisation of turkey poults against bordetellosis with an adjuvant vaccine]. / Immunisierung von Putenküken gegen die Bordetellose mit einer Adjuvans Vaccine.

Turkey poults obtained from a commercial source were vaccinated with a water-in-mineral oil vaccine consisting of one part complete Freund's adjuvant and one part of a watery suspension of heat-inactivated Bordetella (B.) bronchiseptica-like organisms. Birds of group A received one dose of vaccine at 4 days of age, group B received one vaccination at 4 days of age and a second vaccination at 27 days of age. The vaccine was injected subcutaneously at the base of the neck. A third group (C) of poults served as a non-vaccinated control and a fourth group (D) as a negative control. At the 41st day of age birds of groups A, B and C were challenged by infraorbital inoculation of viable virulent organisms. Eight days later all birds of groups A, B, C and D were killed and examined for pathological changes and samples from the respiratory tract were cultured for B. bronchiseptica-like organisms. The vaccine produced a reversible tissue reaction of an acceptable degree at the site of inoculation in approximately 30% of the birds after the first vaccination and in most of the birds after the second vaccination. The results of these experiments show that one vaccination at 4 days of age does not give a full protection. However, after two vaccinations full protection could be observed. The vaccine was also effective in increasing the clearance rate of B. bronchiseptica-like organisms from the trachea. Results of cultural examination 8 days post-challenge revealed the presence of viable organisms in 100% of the non-vaccinated birds but only in 50% of the poults immunised once and in only 25% of the birds immunised twice with the oil adjuvant vaccine. Both vaccination and challenge induced the production of agglutinating antibodies against the heat labile antigen of the Bordetella strains used.

Isolation and serological differentiation of a herpesvirus from bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus, L. 1758).

An infectious agent was isolated from the liver of bobwhite quails (Colinus virginianus, L. 1758). The agent was sensitive to chloroform and its multiplication was inhibited by 5-iodine-2-deoxy-uridine. It passed filters with a pore diameter of 220 nm and more but not 100 nm filters. Electron microscopic examination revealed numerous nucleocapsids with hollow capsomeres and few enveloped particles in the supernatant fluids of infected cultures. The nucleocapsids were calculated to have 162 capsomeres on their surface. Using the plaque reduction method for neutralization tests no serological cross reactions could be detected between the quail isolate and sera against Marek's disease virus, turkey herpes-virus (HV), duck enteritis HV, infectious laryngotracheitis HV, amazon parrot HV, great horned owl HV, eagle owl HV, snowy owl HV, falcon HV, pigeon HV, Lake Victoria Cormorant HV, and stork HV. The isolate from bobwhite quail did only cross-react with antiserum against crane HV. It is concluded that the isolated virus is a member of the avian herpesvirus group and it is proposed to tentatively term it herpesvirus colinum (from Colinus virginianus = bobwhite quail).