IN-VITRO INFECTION OF MONONUCLEAR-CELLS DERIVED FROM VARIOUS CHICKEN LYMPHOID-TISSUES BY CHICKEN ANEMIA VIRUS

Mononuclear cell suspensions derived from spleen, thymus and bone marr ow tissues from chickens at 6 and 28 days of age were infected with CA V under various culture conditions. Indirect immunofluorescent stainin g of cytospin preparations of mononuclear cells revealed greater numbe rs of cells containing CAV antigens in spleen and bone marrow cultures than in thymus cultured under the same conditions. Cell cultures deri ved from 6- and 28-day-old chickens were equally susceptible to CAV in fection. These results indicate that the age resistance to disease exp erimentally induced by CAV is not due to disappearance or increased re sistance of a target cell. Infectivity titrations demonstrated that mo nonuclear cell cultures supported CAV replication. However, the virus titres obtained were lower than those detected in CAV infected MDCC-MS B1 cultures.