COMPARATIVE-STUDIES ON PATHOGENICAL, VIROLOGICAL AND SEROLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF MAREKS-DISEASE VIRUS ISOLATED FROM JAPANESE-QUAIL AND CHICKEN

The QM-1 strain of Marek's disease virus (MDV) isolated from Japanese quail (JQ) induced higher mortality (96%) with MD lesions in quail than the JM strain of MDV isolated from chickens (C) (21%). In contrast both viruses induced MD in 90% of chickens. Pathological changes produced in quail inoculated with JQ-MDV or C-MDV were similar. However, the incidence of tumour lesions in the duodenum of quail inoculated with JQ-MDV was significantly higher. Neither virus induced tumour lesions in the duodenum of chickens. Appearance of viraemia in quail inoculated with MDV was delayed and its level was low as compared with chicken cases. MDV antigens in feather tips appeared in quail inoculated with JQ-MDV but not with C-MDV. No MDV was recovered from the MDV-inoculated quail by direct kidney cell cultures, although MDV was recovered by subpassage of the cultures into chicken embryo fibroblasts. No antibodies were detected in the affected quail by agar gel precipitation test.