ARS | Publication request: MOLECULAR AND BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF NATURALLY OCCURRING RECOMBINANT AVIAN LEUKOSIS (ALV) ISOLATED FROM EGG-TYPE CHICKENS SUFFERING FROM MYELOID LEUKOSIS

Submitted to: American Veterinary Medical Association Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: July 13, 2002
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: A case of myeloid leukosis has recently been reported in commercial layers. Molecular characterization of viruses isolated from affected chickens proved that they are recombinant viruses with subgroup B avian leukosis virus (ALV) envelope and subgroup J ALV LTR. The recombinant virus termed ALV-J/Benv replicated in chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) that are known to be resistant to ALV-J, but failed to replicate in CEF known to be resistant to subgroup B ALV. Chickens of line 15 X 7 known to be highly susceptible to ALV infection and tumors were inoculated with ALV-J/Benv at hatch; chickens were monitored for ALV infection and tumors for 30 weeks. The tumor incidence in ALV-J/Benv-inoculated chickens was 40% compared with 20% and 76% in chickens inoculated with strain ADOL-Hc1 of ALV-J or RAV-2, a subgroup B ALV, respectively. Results suggest that natural recombination among various subgroups of ALV may influence their ability to induce tumors.