ARS | Publication request: Comparison of in vivo innate immune responses in lung and spleen tissue following infection with Asian H5N1 avian influenza viruses in ducks and chickens

Submitted to: American Association of Avian Pathologist
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: March 4, 2007
Publication Date: July 14, 2007
Citation: Kapczynski, D.R., Pantin Jackwood, M.J. 2007. Comparison of in vivo innate immune responses in lung and spleen tissue following infection with Asian H5N1 avian influenza viruses in ducks and chickens [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2007 American Association of Avian Pathologist Scientific Program, July 14-18, 2007, Washington, DC. p. 77.

Technical Abstract: The innate immune response is responsible for rapidly detecting invading microorganisms during the initial stages of infection and is dependent on factors that exist prior to the advent of infection. During this time, the adaptive immune response likely contributes little to protection of immunologically naïve birds. Following infection with Asian H5N1 avian influenza (AI), differences in pathogenicities between chickens and ducks have been observed. Chickens normally succumb to disease within 3-4 days after infection, while ducks, which are considered natural reservoirs for AI, rarely display clinical signs of disease. The biological reasons for the differences in susceptibility and pathogenicity of different avian species to AI are unclear. These studies were designed to examine the initial innate immune response following infection by measuring cytokine expression with RRT-PCR. The results indicate chickens tended to exhibit suppressed cytokine expression, while ducks generally up regulated cytokine expression.