title: An ALV-J isolate is responsible for spontaneous haemangiomas in layer chickens in China.
abstract: Subgroup J avian leukosis virus (ALV-J), first isolated in 1989, mainly induces tumours of myeloid leukosis (ML) in meat-type chickens. In 2006, ALV-J strain SCAU-HN06 was isolated from commercial layer hens with spontaneous haemangiomas in China. To confirm its role in the induction of haemangioma, we constructed a full-length copy of the proviral genome from SCAU-HN06, recovered virus from DF-1 cells detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, characterized its growth property and investigated its pathogenicity. The recovered virus appeared to be identical to SCAU-HN06 analysed by both blast gene sequences and indirect immunofluorescence assay. It also showed similarities in growth to the parental wild-type virus in vitro. The pathogenicity of the rescued and parental virus in specific-pathogen-free White Leghorn chickens was investigated. Both SCAU-HN06 and rSCAU-HN06 could induce haemangioma, with incidence of 52% and 42.8% respectively. Overall, our findings indicated that the ALV-J strain SCAU-HN06 was the causal agent inducing haemangiomas rather than ML in certain layer chickens.
authors.affiliation: The South China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Animal Disease Control and Prevention, The South China Agricultural University College of Veterinary Medicine, Guangzhou, 510642, China.
authors.forename: He-nan
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Han-zhang
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Xiao-tao
authors.initials: XT
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhang-yong
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Ning
authors.forename: Kai-jian
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Chao-an
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.forename: Wei-sheng
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Ming
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Liao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001354:Avian Leukosis Virus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002645:Chickens; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D016679:Genome, Viral; D006391:Hemangioma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*