title: Isolation of serotype 2 Marek's disease virus from birds belonging to genus Gallus in Japan.
abstract: Serotype 2 of Marek's disease virus (MDV) was isolated from apparently healthy birds belonging to genus Gallus that had no history of vaccination with MDV or herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT). Buffy-coat cells from these birds were inoculated onto chicken embryo fibroblast (CEF) cultures for primary isolation. Thirteen isolates from one golden pheasant and three white silky fowls, three black silky fowls, three Japanese long crowers, and three Japanese bantams produced herpes-like cytopathic effects (CPE) in the CEF cultures. Using serotype-specific monoclonal antibodies to MDV and HVT, 11 isolates were identified as serotype 2 MDV by indirect fluorescent antibody tests. The other two isolates were complicated with serotypes 1 and 3 of MDV-related viruses. Of 13 isolates, three cloned by the limiting-dilution method were further characterized as serotype 2 MDV biologically, genetically, and serologically. The results showed that the birds of the genus Gallus were naturally infected with serotype 2 MDV. This is the first report ever published about the distribution of serotype 2 MDV among healthy birds of the genus Gallus.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epizootiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kitagawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Iwanaga
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kodama
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mikami
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds / Q000382:microbiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002642:Chick Embryo; D002645:Chickens / Q000382:microbiology*; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005347:Fibroblasts; D008381:Herpesvirus 2, Gallid / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D007564:Japan; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D012703:Serotyping; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral