PANCREATITIS CAUSED BY REOVIRUS IN GUINEA-FOWL

Pancreatitis caused by a reovirus was observed among 8- to 22-day-old guinea-fowls held under extensive conditions in groups of 10,000 birds . With the virus isolated from the affected birds the disease entity c ould be reproduced experimentally. Both the naturally affected and the experimentally infected birds showed depression, lack of appetite and weakness, followed by recumbency, opisthotonus and, occasionally, con vulsions. A proportion of the survivors were retarded in growth and st unted. At the acute stage, the pancreas showed 2- to 5-fold enlargemen t and bright yellowish discoloration, was tense to the touch, and had haemorrhages and necroses both on its surface and within its substance . The main findings revealed by histopathological and electron microsc opic examination included the degeneration and necrosis of secretory c ells of the exocrine glands responsible for the secretion of digestive enzymes, and the intensive replication of viral particles in the cyto plasm of these cells. The subacute stage of the disease was characteri zed by an irreversible depletion of the glandular substance and repara tive phenomena. The activity of amylase, trypsin, total protease and l ipase significantly decreased in the infected birds' intestinal conten t; at the same time, in the injured pancreatic tissue the activity of these enzymes showed an increase. Hepatic deiodinase activity of the e xperimentally infected guinea-fowls underwent a significant decrease; parallel to that, serum T4 level increased and serum T3 concentration decreased.