SYSTEMIC AMYLOIDOSIS IN LAYING JAPANESE-QUAIL

Systemic amyloidosis was seen in laying Japanese quail in a flock of a farm rearing 95,000 birds. The clinical signs included decreased egg production, anorexia, white diarrhea, and subcutaneous abscesses of th e head. Histologically, amyloid deposited predominantly in the spleen and liver. In addition, there were lesser degrees of amyloidosis in ot her organs (pancreas, kidney, heart, lung, gastrointestinal tract). Am yloid stained positively with Congo red and thioflavin T. Immunohistoc hemically, amyloid substance stained positively against amyloid A prot ein, but not with amyloid protein derived from light chains of immunog lobulins, transthyretin of familiar amyloid polyneuropathy, amyloid pr otein of dermal amyloidosis, nor amyloid P component. Ultrastructurall y, amyloid substance consisted of many nonbranching amyloid fibrils ab out 10 nm in diameter.