Studies of avian urolithiasis associated with an infectious bronchitis virus.
Avian urolithiasis syndrome was diagnosed in 14-to-25-week-old chickens from a multiple-age caged-layer complex housing more than 2.5 million chickens. Losses from this syndrome ranged from 0.5 to 1.0% per week. Seven-to-14-week-old pullets from this facility had multifocal renal tubular necrosis leading to interstitial fibrosis, tophus formation, and tubular dilation. A coronavirus was isolated in embryos inoculated with pooled samples of trachea, kidney, and cecal tonsil of 4-week-old pullets. This virus, identified as 85-209, was related to infectious bronchitis virus strain Florida 88 by hemagglutination-inhibition assay. Day-old specific-pathogen-free chicks were inoculated with fifth-embryo-passage amnioallantoic fluid containing this virus. These chicks developed histologic lesions of tracheitis at 5 to 7 days postinoculation. Half the chicks inoculated by eyedrop developed renal tubular necrosis after 7 days. Urolithiasis in the flock investigated was attributed to renal damage by this strain of infectious bronchitis virus occurring in 4-to-7-week-old pullets and progressing to segmental atrophy, hyperplasia, and ureteral stone formation in 14-to-25-week-old chickens.
Brown
T P
TP
Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens 30605.
Glisson
J R
JR
Rosales
G
G
Villegas
P
P
Davis
R B
RB
D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens; D003333:Coronaviridae Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000662:veterinary*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks / Q000662:veterinary*; D005260:Female; D001351:Infectious bronchitis virus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D013577:Syndrome / Q000662:veterinary; D014513:Ureter / Q000473:pathology; D014514:Ureteral Calculi / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary; D014545:Urinary Calculi / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*