Farm-reared Coturnix quail less than 3 weeks old showed depression, ruffled
feathers, diarrhoea and high mortality. Histological examination revealed
basophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies mainly in the digestive tract, and
rarely in the liver, kidney, nasal epithelium, conjunctiva and columnar ep
ithelial cells within the mucosa of the bursa of Fabricius. The inclusions
were more numerous in the caeca than in the small. intestine. Ultrastructur
ally, they contained many adenovirus-like particles approximately 60 nm in
diameter. This is the first evidence of adenoviral inclusions in the glandu
lar epithelium of the gizzard, conjunctiva, plical epithelium of bursa of F
abricius, and mucosal epithelium of small and large intestines in Coturnix
quail.