The effect of concurrent infections of haemorrhagic enteritis virus or marble spleen disease virus andEimeria meleagrimitisin turkeys

Abstract

SUMMARYTurkey poults given the combination of marble spleen disease virus and Eimeria meleagrimitis (EM) exhibited a greater pathogenic effect caused by the virus and illustrated by an increased spleen weight:gain index and antigen titre. Poults inoculated with both haemorrhagic enteritis virus (HEV) and EM exhibited an ameliorated pathogenic effect, in that the spleen weight:gain index and mean antigen titre were reduced. A reduction in the faecal score of the same birds was also noted when HEV was combined with EM.Poults receiving EM had lower numbers of circulating heterophils and a higher number of lymphocytes compared to the controls. These effects, however, were lost when either virus was simultaneously present with EM. Poults receiving both EM and HEV had the highest level of circulating monocytes.