Amyloid A amyloidosis in non-infected and avian leukosis virus-C persistently infected inbred ducks

The breeding history of the first inbred strain of Khaki Campbell ducks is presented. The genetic homogeneity of this strain was tested on the basis o f serum amyloid A (SAA) polymorphism and it was established that it harbour s only the SAA allele A, which is expressed in liver, lung and bursa of Fab ricius tissues. Pathogenic changes in control and avian leukosis virus-C (A LV-C) persistently infected ducks were evaluated during the period spanning 1 to 10 months after hatching. In both groups, AA amyloidosis was revealed and characterized. In spite of the inbred nature of animals, the incidence of amyloid A deposition varied among experiments, suggesting that addition al non-genetic factors are involved. Similar variation was found in ALV-C p ersistently infected ducks, where only in one out of three experiments was the incidence of AA amyloidosis significantly higher than in controls.