Co-infection of ALV-J and
Salmonella pullorum in Laying Hens
Yuan Yuan Jing, Yu Sheng Li, Jing Kai Xin and Jia
Qian Chai*
Key Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology and
Disease Control and Prevention of Shandong Province, College of
Veterinary Medicine, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian 271018,
People’s Republic of China *Corresponding author:jqchai@sdau.edu.cn
Abstract
A subgroup J avian leukosis virus (ALV-J),
designated as SD1306, which was isolated and identified from inspection of
suspected infection, a Salmonella pullorum
(SP) strain was isolated at the same time. Sixty Hy-line brown chickens were
used for the study. Detected the body weight, the immune organs index,
histopathology, quantity change of the intestinal flora, the viremia and
anti-ALV-J antibody after being inoculated the two pathogens. Results showed
that the indicators had no significant change during the latent period, while at
the 6th and 7th week, compared with other two groups inoculated separately, the
body weight of co-infected group was significant lower; the thymus index was
below the group infected with SD1306, while the spleen index was significant
higher all the time. No evident tumour nodules and swelling in any tissues were
seen at necropsy. Histopathological findings revealed large islands of
leukomonocytes or myelocytes in tissues containing tumors.
Salmonella in rectal feces of
co-infected group was much higher than the group infected with
Salmonella pullorum from the 3rd week,
the number of E. coli significantly
exceeded the group infected with
Salmonella pullorum at the 7th week.
The co-infected group positive rate of ALV-p27 antigen was 69.23%, while the
group infected with SD1306 was 38.46% at the 5th week. The positive rate of both
groups declined at the 6th week, rose again at the 7th week. Correspondingly the
positive rate of anti-ALV-J antibody continued to decrease from the 6th week to
the 7th week. It showed that ALV-p27 antigen and antibody level fluctuated
strongly in some time and there was a negative correlation between them. The
damage to the chicken was more serious in the co-infected chicken than the
chicken infected separately.