Organ culture studies on adenoviruses isolated from tenosynovitis in chickens

Five strains of adenovirus isolated from tenosynovitis in chickens were examined for their ability to grow in vitro in pieces of explanted tendon from 20-day-old chicken embryos from light or heavy breeds. Replicate tendon organ cultures (TOCs) were infected with three concentrations of each strain of virus and supernatant fluids were assayed for virus at intervals after infection up to 11 days. Two strains grew well in TOC, one moderately well, and the other two failed to grow. A strain of Newcastle disease virus (NDV), an agent not associated with tenosynovitis, also failed to grow. TOC from broiler embryos seemed slightly more susceptible to the two actively growing viruses than explants from a light breed. Growth of the adenovirus was demonstrated by immuno-fluorescence staining of sections of TOC but the appearance of stained antigen was dependent on virus titre. One of the strains which showed no activity in TOC grew in tracheal organ cultures (TrOC), as did one which multiplied in tendon, and NDV. In a more prolonged experiment, one of the viruses was found to persist in TOC at high titre for at least 37 days. The likelihood of the in vitro behaviour of these adenoviruses reflecting that occurring in vivo in tendon tissue of infected chickens is discussed.