title: Comparative study of the pathogenicity of avian reoviruses.
abstract: Reovirus strains CO8 and 81-5, isolated from chickens with malabsorption syndrome, and reovirus strain 176, isolated from chickens with tenosynovitis, were each individually inoculated into 1-day-old specific-pathogen-free chicks. Strain CO8 caused tenosynovitis and pericarditis following footpad inoculation, but it was of low pathogenicity when given by either oral or subcutaneous route. In contrast, strains 81-5 and 176 were highly pathogenic and caused severe mortality following subcutaneous inoculation. Lesions included hepatic necrosis, bursal atrophy, thymitis, and splenic hyperplasia; strain 81-5 also caused pericarditis and myocarditis. Although strain 176 caused higher mortality than strain 81-5, these two strains differed little in the severity and distribution of the lesions they caused. No signs or lesions of typical malabsorption syndrome were observed.
authors.affiliation: Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Ellington Agriculture Center, Nashville 37204.
authors.forename: K N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: O J
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Villegas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D008286:Malabsorption Syndromes / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary; D010493:Pericarditis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D012087:Reoviridae / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D012088:Reoviridae Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D013717:Tenosynovitis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary