Pathology of Avian Adenovirus Serotypes in the Presence of Escherichia coli in Infectious-Bursal-Disease-Virus-Infected Specific-Pathogen-Free Chickens

Abstract

Ten strains of adenovirus representing 10 serotypes were administered intratracheally to 3-week-old specific-pathogen-free chickens, which also received 2.5 X 10(5) colony-forming units of a pathogenic Escherichia coli intranasally. Those birds had been inoculated by eye drop at 1 day of age with a virulent infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV). Controls consisted of groups of chickens inoculated with: (a) IBDV and E. coli, (b) IBDV only, (c) E. coli only, and (d) no virus or E. coli. Gross pulmonary alterations at 5 days postinoculation (PI) included congestion and consolidation of one or both lungs of a chick inoculated with adenovirus serotype Ind-C and another inoculated with A-2. Histopathologic alterations in the lungs were those of multifocal interstitial and occasionally diffuse pneumonia. All 10 adenovirus serotypes elicited multifocal or diffuse pneumonia and bronchiolitis in one or more of the five birds per group necropsied at 5 days PI. T-8 and A-2 serotypes induced marked to serve diffuse pneumonia within 5 days; Ind-C, Stein, Tipton, 75-1A, B-3, and X-11 incited a mild diffuse pneumonia. In all groups, the pneumonic lesions were more severe 5 days PI than 12 days PI. Tracheitis was incited by Ind-C, Stein, T-8, and A-2 at 5 days PI; the lesions were minimal to marked in severity. None of the four control groups exhibited gross or histopathologic alterations except the two IBDV-infected groups, which exhibited bursal change.

Clinical Aspects of Immunosuppression in Poultry

“…The severity was augmented by aflatoxin (233). Multiple avian adenovirus strains can increase susceptibility to E. coli infection in chickens (46,222).…”