title: Oculopathologic findings in flavivirus-infected gallinaceous birds.
abstract: Using eye samples of nine 9-week-old experimentally West Nile virus (WNV)-infected red-legged partridges (Alectoris rufa), time course of lesions and WNV antigen appearance in ocular structures were examined. In addition, eye samples of 6 red-legged partridges and 3 common pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) naturally infected with Bagaza virus (BAGV) were used to study lesions and flavivirus antigen distribution in relation to apparent blindness in the former. The rapid onset of microscopic lesions and early presence of viral antigen in the eye of experimentally WNV-infected partridges, prior to the central nervous system involvement, suggested hematogenous spread of the virus into the eye. BAGV-infected partridges had a more pronunced inflammatory reaction and more widespread flavivirus antigen distribution in the retina compared with pheasants and experimentally fatally WNV-infected partridges. Our results suggest that flavivirus replication and development of lesions in ocular structures of gallinaceous game birds vary with the specific virus and host species involved.
authors.affiliation: SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ciudad Real, Spain.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gamino
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biotecnología, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrarias INIA, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Escribano-Romero
authors.affiliation: SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ciudad Real, Spain.
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez-Guzmán
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biotecnología, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrarias INIA, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Blázquez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Biotecnología, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Agrarias INIA, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Saiz
authors.affiliation: SaBio, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC (CSIC-UCLM-JCCM), Ciudad Real, Spain Ursula.hofle@uclm.es.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Höfle
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D001715:Bird Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000821:virology; D005123:Eye / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D015828:Eye Infections, Viral / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D005416:Flavivirus / Q000276:immunology / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D018177:Flavivirus Infections / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D046094:Galliformes / Q000821:virology*; D054884:Host-Pathogen Interactions; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral
keywords: Bagaza virus; West Nile virus.; common pheasant Phasianus colchicus; eye; flavivirus; histology; immunohistochemistry; red-legged partridge Alectoris rufa