[Mark's disease: V. Experimental behavior of 3 isolates taken place in the country]

Three experiments were designed to determine the parameters of virus infection, antibodies and mortality with three different MD isolates inoculated in one day old birds from commercial origin. The animals were divided in three inoculated lots (1-2-3) and three control groups (4-1, 4-2, 4-3) and were followed weekly from hatching through 17 weeks. The former were inoculated respectivelly with FOV-6, FCV-8 and FCV-9. Each day old bird received between 50-75 FPU/bird by I.P. route. Samples were taken from circulating blood of five birds by cardiac puncture with an heparinized syringe (20 U/ml), were centrifuged and the white cells inoculated to 5-15 four day old embryos by yolk salk route for virus detection; plasma was assayed by immunodiffusion against MD antigen in order to detect precipitating antibodies, and mortality was recorded after microscopical examination. Infection appeared to persist indefinitelly in the host chicken flock and coexist with (100%) precipiting antibodies, (Fig. 1-2-3). First virus isolation was accomplished after 4 weeks post-inoculation and the 100% porcentage of antibodies, was found only 1-3 weeks after the first peak of viraemia. With the most pathogenic isolate FCV-6 (ig. 1) the antibody response was significantly delayed. Maternal antibodies decreased more rapidly in inoculated than in control birds. Accumulative mortality showed isolate FCV-6 and FCV-8 as pathogenic strains and FCV-9 strain as less pathogenic. Mortality begun 1-3 weeks after the first peak of virus detection in the flock, independently of the pathogenic pattern of the isolate, but frecuencies of death were markedly different.