title: Systemic spindle-cell proliferative disease in broiler chickens.
abstract: The major organs and tissues of 24 broiler chickens (70 or 71 days old) suspected of spindle-cell proliferative disease (SPD) because of showing the tumorous lesions distributed throughout the body at meat inspection were collected for histopathological and immunohistochemical examination. Macroscopically, liver, spleen and cecal tonsil showed severe enlargement and white nodules or plaques were observed in the liver, spleen, kidney, intestine and bone marrow of the femur. All chickens were diagnosed with SPD based on the histopathological examination. The lesions of SPD were observed in the liver, spleen, kidney, heart, lung, pancreas, proventriculus, gizzard, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, rectum, cecal tonsil, bursa of Fabricius, bone marrow of the femur and skin. Hemangioma was observed in the lung of 1 bird. Eight 1-day-old specific pathogen-free chicks were inoculated intraperitoneally with 0.25 ml of a 20% homogenate of the affected spleens of three naturally occurring cases. One inoculated bird, necropsied at 10 weeks of age, macroscopically had a white nodule in the kidney and histopathologically had spindle-cell proliferative lesions, a pattern similar to that seen in the naturally occurring cases, in the liver, spleen, kidney, heart, lung, pancreas, proventriculus, duodenum, cecal tonsil and bone marrow of the femur, and was diagnosed with SPD. Immunohistochemically, significant positive reactions with a rabbit antiserum against avian leukosis virus antigens were detected in all spindle cells in the proliferative lesions of all examined SPD cases and in tumor cells of the hemangioma of a field case.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathogenic Veterinary Science, The United Graduate School of Veterinary Sciences, Gifu University, Yanagido, Gifu, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeaki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takami
authors.forename: Masanobu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goryo
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masegi
authors.forename: Kosuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okada
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001353:Avian Leukosis / Q000473:pathology*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D002645:Chickens; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques / Q000662:veterinary; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology; D041741:Lower Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000473:pathology; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D013047:Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms; D013154:Spleen / Q000473:pathology