Idiopathic polyneuritis in SPF chickens

Abstract

Paralysis due to peripheral neuritis occurred sporadically in a flock of Rhode Island Red chickens over a period of 8 years and is named idiopathic neuritis (IP). The flock was housed in isolators and free from many common pathogens including all known neurotropic viruses of chickens. The pathology of the nerve lesions, including their ultrastructure, is described and comparisons made with the lesions of Marek's disease and experimental allergic neuritis in chickens. Demyelination with invasion of nerve fibres with lymphocytes and macrophages occurs in all three diseases but there are differences in lesion distribution and intensity of cellular infiltration. The closest similarity is between the lesions of IP and the B-type lesions of Marek's disease. Attempts to isolate a cytopathic virus and to transmit the disease by inoculation failed to demonstrate an infectious causal agent. An autoimmune response to normal nerve is suggested as the most likely aetiology amongst several alternatives. The heritability of IP is not established, but the disease has not been detected in a light Sussex flock maintained under similar conditions.

Characterization and experimental reproduction of peripheral neuropathy in White Leghorn chickens

“…Furthermore, administration of MD vaccines offers little or no protection against either field cases of PN (breeder company, personal communication) or the experimentally induced syndrome. Thus, it seems clear that PN and MD are pathologically and aetiologically distinct, a conclusion consistent with the data of Julian (1992), J. L. Spencer (unpublished observations), and also of Biggs et al (1982), who found no association of the closely-linked IP syndrome with MD. PN also differs from transient paralysis (TP), a neurological syndrome induced by MDV (Kenzy et al, 1973) that is also influenced by the MHC, i.e.…”

“…Lymphoid infiltrations, along with oedema, demyelination and plasma cells, also have been observed in nerves of SPF Rhode Island Red chickens that developed a paralytic syndrome termed IP when grown in isolation cages in a laboratory environment (Biggs et al, 1982). The IP syndrome was observed in eight of nine consecutive years at low frequencies (0.2 to 0.9%).…”

“…Another syndrome designated as idiopathic polyneuritis (IP) was described in specific pathogen free (SPF) laboratory chickens by Biggs et al (1982). Affected chickens had enlarged peripheral nerves with B-type nerve lesions (demyelination, oedema, and scattered infiltration with lymphocytes and plasma cells).…”

Multiple Perineuriomas in Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus)

“…31 Idiopathic polyneuritis, which is a rare hereditary disease in specific breeds of chicken that has histologic lesions similar to MD, is also reported. 2 Experimentally, PN lesions similar to those of MD occurred in some broiler chickens inoculated with ALV subgroup J. 28 Recently, Bacon et al 1 reported peripheral neuropathies with leg paralysis in commercial layers that were suggested to be caused by an autoimmune reaction to the nerve tissue associated with a combination of common vaccines.…”

Etude statistique de l'evolution des lesions histologiques au cours de l'infection experimentale du poulet par le virus de la maladie de marek

“…Les infiltrats néoplasiques des nerfs sont contemporains de l'infiltration générale de tous les organes du poulet par des cellules lymphocytaires (Bourhy, 1986). Les lésions nerveuses inflammatoires de type B succèdent aux lésions de type A. Elles ont l'aspect de lésions de polynévrite décrites par ailleurs (Petek et Quaglio, 1967;Biggs et al, 1982) et seraient des lésions de démyélinisation auto-immune (Lamperteia/., 1977;Hoffmann-Fezer et Hoffmann, 1980). Les lésions de type C qui semblent succéder aux lésions de type B représentent certainement une forme atténuée de ces dernières.…”